If only
by Mizura
Summary: -i could think o' a better title? XD Erm, anyway. Mostly AlbelNel fluff for SO3. Based during the game. Completed!
1. Part 1

_Author's commentary: _Okay, so I wasn't really planning on writing anything SO3 related since I have so many other things to finish up, but here goes anyway.  
Just a few things:  
Standard disclaimers apply, pretty sure everyone knows the like, if any o' us really came up w/ the charas from anything on prolly wouldn't be writing stuff about them. xD  
_Warning: _Not-so-subliminal character hatred. (Mostly Maria.) Not really too distracting, but ahh, it's there. XD (Yeah, I'm biased. Can't you tell? .)  
I actually didn't try to stray too far from the storyline, but if they're probably inconstancies 'cause I only played through once. (And you'll be able to tell who I recruited..ehehe.) Maybe some OOCness. (I just can't tell anymore! X.x But in the case, mostly Nel. Hey. I tried.)  
K, finally, if you didn't figure already by the summary, it's just a lot of Albel/Nel interaction going on. (And some um, Clifayt implications but nothing much there either. I don't write that kind o' stuff sorry.) And by now, you're probably not even reading this part so I'll shut up. 

**Part 1**

Out of all people in Elicoor, Nel Zelpher had never expected that she would have to travel with one of the most famous (though not much in a good sense) captains in Airyglyph. Sure, she had seen him a few times, and she had heard her share of this "Albel the Wicked," but the thought of being anywhere near him and having to do so _willingly_ had never crossed her mind. So, when he had been assigned to be going along with Fayt Leingod's group to the Urssa Lava Caves, she had immediately felt an impeding sense of doom. If she had not been so loyal to her duties, she knew that she would have already attempted to take revenge on him for hurting her subordinates earlier. If she had attacked him, more than likely, he would have killed her in less than a minute. She had to admit, her loyalty was a saving grace at some times.

The woman tried her best to avoid the ex-captain as much as possible, but at the same time look as though she wasn't. It worked well, for the most part. Even speaking with him was dangerous ground, she knew, so most often, she only commented to him when the whole group was around. Then again, she barely saw him when he wasn't with the others. The first time that they spoke when the others were gone was in Peterny. Before entering there, she had spoken with Woltar, and although knowing that he had been the one who had slain her father, her own pride was high enough not to allow any mixed emotions to enter her voice as she spoke to the old man. He was old, but not one to underestimate. Again, if she had attacked him, more than likely, she would not have been of this world anymore.

Nel said nothing when the others proposed to first gather supplies at Peterny and then head to Barr to get to the Caves. It made sense, since Peterny _was_ the largest city around, and, at the very least, comfortable for all of them. As soon as they got there, they separated as they always did, though Cliff Fitter _did_ follow Fayt a few paces before sneaking off into the tavern. He was always on the lookout for the younger man, which seemed to make a certain Maria Traydor just a tad snappish at times. Jealousy? Perhaps. But toward who was another question.

The group gathered at the city hall soon enough, and Fayt spoke about staying a night before having to return to Airyglyph. The idea of speaking to the Marquis was tiring enough to make for everyone to agree, minus Albel, who seemed rather annoyed at having to waste more time in the petty town. Still, the group knew as well as he that he was not so sure about picking a fight with Crosell either.

It was that night that Nel first had a chance to speak to Albel Nox one on one. Did she want to? No. Did she have a choice? Probably not. The fact that he had basically entered her room and attempted to slice open her neck was probably a major deciding factor for this.

She had been sleeping rather soundly for some time when her senses told her something was utterly wrong, and her eyes opened suddenly, her hand instinctively reaching for a dagger and raising it to parry a slightly familiar sword. She followed the sword to the side, her gaze resting on the wielder's claw arm for a moment before swooping up toward Albel's.

"What in the name of Apris do you think you're doing!?" she demanded, right before she remembered that it was nighttime and it was not a good idea to cause a fuss when there was no need to.

"Hm. Not bad." was his response as he shrugged, sheathing the sword like a seasoned pro.

Nel stood, her arms folded and her eyes blazing with unspoken threats. The words she did speak weren't half as harsh. "Not bad? What are you doing? Going around and testing how well everyone's senses are? I'm sorry, Albel, but if you do that to Fayt and even Cliff, I don't know if they're going to make it alive. You know if you kill them, you'll be in a ton of trouble."

"Bah."

She glowered toward him for a while, finding herself slightly annoyed at how he had simply turned away from her, but didn't seem at all like he was planning on leaving. "So." she finally continued, "What do you want. If you wanted to kill me, I'm sure you wouldn't just be standing there right now." One of her hands went up instinctively toward her neck. "Plus that wouldn't have been such a nice way to leave this world."

"Ah, I wasn't trying to hit you."

"Of course, if you were, you wouldn't have missed." She shut her mouth when he turned his head faintly, his crimson gaze showing annoyance as well.

"Hmph. You're right." he stated simply, turning aside again. "I have a question for you, worm, which means you have to answer it."

"A question?" Out of all things...

"You hate me, don't you?"

Nel blinked a few times, watching the warrior's back quietly for a moment. She glanced down faintly, almost surprised to see her hand somewhat shaky. Of course, it wasn't a surprise; he was the enemy for a long time, and he wasn't the most stable of all personalities, she knew. Why else would he be Albel the Wicked? Plus, she knew, he could easily beat her in battle one on one. The first time they had fought she had been surprised that she had more or less escaped unharmed. A few responses swirled in her mind for a moment, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "W--what?" Maybe he would give up if she pretended not to hear him.

"You heard me."

Okay, that wasn't such a good idea. She took a deep breath, then spoke, knowing it was easiest to speak the truth in such an occasion. "Of course I hate you. You're from Airyglyph. You hurt my subordinates. You killed many of the people from our kingdom." she shook her head. "I told you already. I don't like working with you as much as you don't like working with me, but we don't have a choice. At least..for now."

She felt somewhat surprised and relieved when the man chuckled faintly, turning back to face her. Looking closely at his face, she had to admit he had been worthy of all the women's admiration toward him, but his rotten personality was also showing through as much as his facial beauty. He sneered, to make things worse. "Well, at least there's someone who can speak the truth around here."

"Huh?" Nel raised an eyebrow.

Albel shrugged a bit. "I just asked that blue-haired maggot the same question."

"You asked that to Fayt?" she shuddered, hoping that Fayt was still left in one piece after the interrogation.

The man took a few steps toward the door, pausing to speak quietly, "You know what he said?" without waiting for a response, he continued, "He said 'not really.' After all that I've done." he shook his head, showing his disbelief. "I thought dreamers wouldn't make it this far in the world. How can someone like him trust someone like me?"

Nel paused for a moment, hearing a quiet tremor in his voice as he finished speaking. She sighed finally, taking a seat on the bed. "You like him, don't you?"

Albel immediately spun around, his functioning hand reaching toward his blade and Nel raised both her daggers up to protect herself in case he ran at her. "I am not like that, fool!"

The redhead blinked a few times, then let out a soft laugh. "Oh, I didn't mean like that. He will be a good leader, I think. He has the power to place trust in everyone, regardless of their past. That's the part I like about him too."

His hand lowered from his sword. "........bah."

"As her majesty says, everything begins from trust. If you can't trust someone, how can you expect them to trust yourself?"

"..............."

"..and anyway, my subordinates were at the very least safe after getting taken back from you, to which I have Apris to thank." she frowned faintly. "If you had done worse I would probably not have been able to exercise restraint even with Her Majesty's orders."

"Hm?" Albel raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk appearing on his face. "Done worse?"

"I'm just glad that you didn't think to take advantage of them."

"Who said I didn't?"

Nel paused, her eyes narrowing faintly. She knew he was testing her, but the topic annoyed her greatly. Her subordinates were dear to her, and anyone harming them would be sure get a nice taste of her own blade. "I'm sure that someone who was in an honorable position as you were would never do such a thing."

"You're right." he stated simply. "But it would have been easy for me to do as I pleased. They were weak fools. The only thing that caused anyone pain was the little one's voice."

The redhead gripped one of the bedsheets to restrain herself. "I have to admit, with due respect to our kingdoms, as a thought that comes from myself and only myself....you're a real bastard, Albel Nox."

".......bah."

He turned back toward the door just in time to see Cliff barge in, wearing bunny slippers and gray pjs. What a sight to behold. He skidded to a stop when he noticed Albel in the room, his eyebrows raised toward his odd attire. "Oh...." the blonde man said rather lamely.

"Hmph."

Nel watched as Albel pushed out of the room, not bothering to speak again. Cliff looked toward her, then tilted his head. "What's up with him?"

"More like what's up with you?" Nel retorted, stifling a yawn. "Doesn't anyone sleep at this time?"

"Ah, actually I _was_ sleeping, and I thought I heard some kind of weapon sound coming from your room. You know, like ching ching ching? Or somethin'? So I thought I'd take a look, you know?" he eyed her up and down. "Looks like you're all fine and dandy. But what was up with Albel being in here?"

The woman shrugged. "Actually, I have no idea either. You might have been on his list of visitors even."

"Huh? List of visitors?"

"Oh, nevermind."

"Well, alright. I better get some sleep now come to think of it. Don't wanna sleep in and make you all late." Cliff turned slowly, giving her a small wave. He paused at the doorway, then spoke, his voice all seriousness. "Hey. By any chance, did that guy try to hurt you?"

Nel blinked a few times, then sighed. "Other than the fact that he tried to slit my throat, I don't think he meant any harm."

"Fayt can make him stop."

"Cliff, no."

Cliff turned, one eyebrow raised. "Huh? Hey. Don't worry, Fayt can talk him into it."

The redhead shook her head a few times. "Don't tell Fayt about this."

"What?!" the blonde frowned.

"Don't worry about me. I don't want Fayt to have to work out how Albel and myself will get along. He has better things to think about."

Cliff looked about to object, then shut his mouth, nodding his head solemnly. "Alright. But you know, if that guy tries something on you again..." he slammed one fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "Just let me know and I'll beat some sense in him."

Nel hid a small smile, nodding. "Okay..good night."

---

After that night, nothing out of the ordinary occurred for quite some time. A lot of things happened, including defeating Crosell. A few times Nel felt somewhat tempted to question the other Elicoorian about the night, but she kept her mouth quiet, knowing that unless it was necessary, she didn't want to be wandering around with the man alone. Slowly, though, she could see that he was changing--probably due to the whole group's nature. Once, she thought she caught a small smile on the man's face, but when he noticed she was looking toward him, he immediately glanced aside, his expression cloudy when he returned back to his position. The more they were in the same group though, the less she began to fear the man and the more she could almost feel like they were mere partners. They were both Elicoorians, which was one, and both had an odd habit of leaning against the wall while the others investigated. If one wasn't away from the group, the other was.

That, and she found after Fayt had given Albel a tome to learn symbology as well, Albel would take time to heal her when he noticed she was hurt. Of course, she could just as well heal herself, and she most often did, but it was a definite change from how he had been before. And a decent change at that. But outside of battle, it was exactly as it was a few days back. Albel always had a cool disposition that many times even Fayt was unable to break. Not that she minded, though, because he wasn't one of the main things on her mind. If anything, he was the one she paid the least attention to. She was more worried about how her majesty was faring, though if Clair was taking care of her, the queen would be in good hands.

Soon enough, the group was wisked away into an adventure that would be very unforgettable, and eventually Fayt, Cliff, Maria and Mirage were headed away from Elicoor. Nel betrayed no emotions as she watched them go, but when they left she felt somewhat empty. It would mean that there would be nothing left for her to do for a few days, and doing nothing made her restless. She had no idea whatever happened to the other Elicoorian of the group, nor did she really care. Airyglyph and Aquaria would be at peace for some time, so she knew she didn't have to worry about a certain black-blonde haired warrior attempting to cut her open again when she slept.

A few weeks later, though, she found Fayt entering her room, basically just to say hi. She immediately jumped on the chance of being able to join him again on his adventures--for he seemed to ignite plenty, and couldn't help but be surprised to note that Albel had already beaten her into their party. Later on, she heard from Cliff that he had saved them somewhat and had insisted on staying around to fight stronger beings, since Aquaria wasn't an option anymore. She also was introduced to Sophia, who she had originally thought was Fayt's sweetheart, until Fayt cleared it up and said she was just a childhood friend. Nel had caught the hurt look on her face and shook her head at that comment, but said nothing.

When she saw Albel again, he seemed as cold as he had before they had ever met, and any sense of hospitality and connection she had felt with him the first time they had joined completely vanished. He had stopped with the symbology, saying it was a waste of energy, and charged head first into battle as he had toward the beginning of their journey. This annoyed her to some extent, enough for her to sit down and ponder at why she felt so irritated to see that he had stopped being as he had before. It wasn't like she was particularly close to him, and they hadn't corresponded at all after Fayt had left their planet the first time. Nel felt somewhat disappointed at this, since if she had stayed near the man, she would have been able to join Fayt's party a little earlier. Cliff was the one who briefed her on everything that she had missed, including a place called Gemity and Arkives, which he said they would return to shortly. She had to admit she felt somewhat happy to know that they had visited her first thing when they could get to Elicoor. Then again, she doubted that they knew anyone else, minus the one kid named Roger, who was more than annoying anyway so would be better worthwhile left alone.

Albel's sudden revert to his prior persona seemed not to surprise anyone else though, and Nel wondered if she had been the only one to have noticed his initial beginning to change. Sure, they weren't traveling for long, but she could have sworn that he was changing a bit. Whatever happened between then and now must had changed him back. Or perhaps, it was just because of the gap between their adventures with Fayt Leingod. Whatever the reason, Nel didn't like it. In fact, she didn't like it enough to approach Albel when he was in the Gemity weapon shop. When she entered, he looked toward her briefly, then away, his eyes looking over the odd weaponry of the area. Laser weapons were hardly anything of the technology of Elicoor. The way they could change form was very interesting, but Nel found she didn't like the way they handled. She kept her father's weapons equipped as much as she could, more as a memento over anything else.

She glanced around the shop once before stepping over to the man. "Albel?"

He turned back toward her, his expression neutral. "What do you want?"

Nel slowly felt like her idea had turned into a foul one. "Well, someone seems like they're in a bad mood."

"Bah. If you don't have anything better to say, get out of my sight, maggot."

If she knew she could do it, she would have ripped one of his braids out of his hair. She knew well enough that he would more than likely kill her if she did so, though, so if only in order to preserve her existence, she held back, instead relaying a message that Mirage had spread a moment back. "We're going back to Elicoor for a few days to gather supplies before we head to Sphere. I was making sure you knew about it so we don't leave you behind." she folded her arms a bit. "Not that I'd mind if you don't come along, of course."

"That one wench stopped a while back and told me that already."

So Mirage had beaten her. There went that plan. Nel shrugged. "Well, alright then. I thought I'd come by and make sure, that's all." not knowing what else to say, and noting that Albel wasn't going to speak any further on his own accord, she left, feeling somewhat unfulfilled. She continued to feel rather unfulfilled even when they reached Elicoor, stopping by Peterny once more. 


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

Albel Nox shook his head two times as he waited impatiently for the others to get ready to leave. He was always finished getting ready about three times as fast as the others, and therefore ended up always grumbling to himself and wandering around the entrance of the inns they stayed in. Maria was done next, and she took a seat, after giving a flip of her hair. The movement never ceased to annoy him, and he glanced aside in irritation. Then again, he figured, Maria Traydor in general annoyed him.

Although he was a fighter, he was still a man, and he had taken a moment the first few days to look over the women of the group that he was forced to stay with. Maria was somewhat attractive, he had decided, but her attitude and her movements were so, well... ugh, that he had to restrain himself from wanting to wring her neck off. Of course, being in the maggot's group for so long had made him immune to most of her irritating qualities, but not all. Then there was Mirage, who was all calm and no personality whatsoever. He had heard the rumors about her strength, but until she was in the party, he had no clue if they were true or false. Knowing the other idiot Klausian, though, she should be somewhat formidable. To him, she seemed like the kind of person who couldn't think for themselves, though, and spent more time getting dressed up rather than fighting. Of course, he would be wrong, but how was he to know that?

When Sophia entered the group, Albel had immediately felt all sorts of irritation toward her as well. First of all, she was more than friendly with Fayt, which well, so was the others, so he could forgive that part of her. Then, she couldn't hold her own in battle in the very least. Plus, of course, her friendliness with Fayt made sure that she would never heal him over Fayt, even if he was more injured than the other man. _That_ was annoying beyond belief. Then, it was the utter innocence of the girl that completely antagonized him. She had no clue about how it was like to be in the real world. Probably because she was a mere Earthling. But then again, so was Fayt. And Maria. He crossed that thought out.

Lastly, there was Nel Zelpher, who was the only one who seemed to be any worth anything in the entire group. Of course, she was also from Aquaria (those scum!) and wasn't so pretty anyway. Or so he tried to convince himself. Yes, she could fight, and fight well if provoked. Not as well as he, of course. No single person could really compare to Albel the Wicked. She wasn't plain looking in the least, and her personality was well enough to complement the man's rather easily. But really, the fact was, Albel wasn't interested in her either.

The reason for this was that he, contrary to how one may believe, was a man who wanted the stereotypical woman to call his own. One who would wait for him when he went off into battle and who would take care of him when he needed it. A woman that he could protect and hold when he needed to. And that. Was just not. Nel Zelpher.

But she was known for her good cooking.

And she knew how to heal and take care of him.

And she was just about weak enough for him to be able to protect if he really wanted to. (That is, granted that she'd let him of course.)

And she hated him.

That went without saying. It wasn't surprising at all, and he was somewhat glad that she did. He didn't know what he would do if she had spoken to him like Fayt had that night in Peterny. Not like what he said mattered anyway. They were all foolish dreams that would never really survive in the harsh reality of life. In a way, Nel's words had made a little more impact, since they were the solid truth and not some dallying concept that one who's been in many a battle could follow.

Albel frowned a bit, folding his arms as the others began to finish gathering. Said Nel Zelpher was trailing behind Cliff, who was chatting eagerly with Mirage beside him. The two confused the man sometimes. Mirage was obviously interested in Cliff, but he was so oblivious and instead pushing himself on Fayt--who for some idiotic reason in the world didn't seem to mind. And then there was Maria who was always looking annoyed at both of them. The heck?

Maggots.

Often times he wondered why he had allowed himself to be dragged along with them. Woltar had told him his charges would be taken away, but was it really worth fighting alongside such filth? He had to admit that he had gotten used to their company for a while until Fayt and co. had left temporarily. After they had, he had trained on his own and happened to stumble upon them when they were getting attacked by odd Vendeeni soldiers. He had given the others the cold shoulder again the second time they joined, showing only interest in fighting the so-called-"gods" that were taking over the regions nearby.

His eyes strayed and landed on Nel, who turned her head a bit, seeming to notice his gaze. She raised an eyebrow, and he immediately looked aside, speaking to hide his awkward movements. "It took you worms long enough. We don't have all day, you know."

"Sorry." Fayt said simply, scratching his head sheepishly like he always did when he got scolded.

"Hey, chill out." Cliff stated, shrugging and giving Albel one of his trademark grins that the other man was tempted to claw out of his face. "We weren't that late anyway. We coulda been later, you know?"

"Yes. I know." Albel responded, his words hissed through his teeth. He fell into step as the others passed him by, taking care to stay right at the end of the line and keeping his eyes on anyone and anything but Nel who was in front of him.

Not like he cared, of course. To him, she was just a regular woman--or rather, scum from Aquaria. The others might have been easy with making the truce between Airyglyph and Aquaria, but it didn't mean that he would have to be happy about it. Which he really wasn't, though the news of Vox's death had brightened him just slightly. Vox's death had also meant that he had lost his rival, which was kind of a drag. The people in Aquaria were mostly worthless anyway, with a few exceptional fighters and healers. Otherwise, there wasn't much going for them. It always surprised him how they had been able to stand up against Airyglyph for so long with such a weak force.

"Albel?"

The man turned faintly as Nel's voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked twice, noticing that the surroundings around him had changed. Had he been thinking that long to not notice they had reached their destination? There must be something wrong with him...

His crimson eyes scanned the area quickly, then figured that he was simply in the entrance of an inn. Then he figured the others, with the exception of Nel, had gone off somewhere else. Inwardly, he did a double take, but outwardly, Nel only saw him flinch.

"..something wrong? You've looked like you've been drunk or stoned for the last few hours until we got here."

Leave it to the Aquarian scum to manage to insult him in such a calm tone. Albel the Wicked? Drunk? Stoned? Bah. He growled a bit. "I was just thinking. Where are we?"

"You don't recognize this? It's Kirlsa."

"Bah. I have my own room here. Why should I recognize this shabby place?"

In truth, he had figured it out before she responded, but that wasn't something he was going to blurt out. It would ruin his image, no doubt. Nel shook her head. "Well, I'm done babysitting you for now. Were you listening to Fayt?"

"............."

She took that as a no. Smart wench. "Alright. Well, we'll be staying the night here. We need to get rested up so we can keep going. You can figure that much, right?"

"I'm not stupid, fool."

A frown appeared on her face and he kicked himself inwardly. He couldn't really understand why, but he did. Not that he cared about if she was frowning or not. Not like he cared about whatever in Elicoor the wench was thinking about. Not that he cared if he had hurt her feelings or not. Or did he?

.....nah.

Wait, maybe....

No, da--it.

"I wish that you would be able to speak normally to your _group members_, Albel." she stated, her voice crisp. "Or should I say Nox?"

"Don't try it, maggot."

This brought him to remember the one time that he _had_ tried to call them by their first name. Well, it had been a test at first, to see how the idiots would react. He had first tried it to Sophia, which was just a dumb idea. It had gone something like:

"Good night, Sophia."

Which was already horrible beyond belief and left a sour taste in the man's mouth. What made him even more sour was the expression she gave him, which was both fear and excitement. The worm was probably thinking they were making progress with him. She nodded. "'Night, Mr. Nox."

And then she had walked away. _Mr. Nox._ Ugh. He loathed that title. It didn't sound quite right. It made him sound old, too. He was used to Sir Albel and Sir Nox at times, maybe Lord so and so, but Mr.... was just not right. It was also part of the reason why he never bothered to include his last name in his introductions. 

Maria was his second test subject, but she had not noticed at all that he had called her by first name, and she simply went on with her daily life like nothing changed. Mirage had given him a strange look but had also not said anything about it. Cliff and Fayt.... now they were a sight to behold. First it was Cliff, who's eyes looked as if they were bulging out of his head. For him, it was, "Cliff, what time is it?" (He had struggled not to add 'maggot' at the end of this question.)

The expression was priceless, and the spoken response was rather slow. "U--uhh....Yeah. It's uhhh....well you see.... ah, can't you look up there yourself?"

Albel hadn't been able to hide his smirk and had just excused himself that time. Fayt had been the only one out of the group to have questioned it. "Um, Albel, I know this might seem strange or something, but... Isn't this the first time you've called me by my first name?"

And to which Albel couldn't resist but respond, "Yes. Something wrong with that, maggot?"

Which basically ruined the whole idea of testing him. In other words, the sour taste didn't leave his mouth every time that he spoke one of the group's names. The only person he hadn't called by first name that day was Nel, who had been, rumors said, with Clair and discussing plans. After that day, he had returned to referring to the group members as he did to the random battles that they encountered on a daily basis. Worm. Maggot. Scum. Fools. The like. It just came smoother to him. No one questioned it, either. He supposed they just got used to it. And now this Nel Zelpher was asking him why he didn't speak normally toward them? Bah.

"I heard from Fayt that you actually called him by his first name once." Nel spoke up finally, disturbing his thoughts.

So that idiot had spoken about it. He sighed. At this rate she would think he only did so to him, which would be sure to spread some odd and unnecessary rumors. As if he didn't get those enough by his choice of clothing. Coolly, he glanced down toward her, noting her humored expression. "What would that be to you, worm?"

Nel folded her arms, all traces of humor disappearing from her face. "Now listen here, Albel Nox. I won't stand for being looked down upon. You know that we're all on equal levels in this group. You shouldn't talk like you're high and mighty and that we're only worms and maggots in comparison."

Oh for the love of all things holy. The scum thinks she could lecture him. His eyes instinctively narrowed as his clawed hand moved toward his sword. "And what do you think you can do about it, fool?"

He paused for a moment when he noticed her hand seemed to be somewhat trembling and he released the weapon. Still, her voice betrayed no fear. "I may as well do nothing, but I think we've known each other long enough not to--"

"Long enough?" Albel spat out suddenly, feeling a sudden burst of uncontrollable rage. He regretted when he spoke, but he wasn't one to back down. "Don't be confused, fool. Just because we're in the same group doesn't mean that we're buddy-buddy. To me, you're nothing but what you've been from the start. Aquarian scum."

To his surprise, she stepped forward, her eyes flashing. Instinctively, he raised his claw arm in case she thought to attack, but almost as sudden as she had stepped forward, she stepped back, her expression returning to normal. "....alright. Have it your way, Nox. And I was starting to think that you might not be as bad as I had thought in the beginning. I see I was wrong."

"Bah."

He watched her silently as she walked off, her body language completely showing her irritation. She _was_ quick tempered, he figured, but then again so was he. Another trait they had in common. He folded his arms, then exited the inn as well, heading immediately toward his own room near Woltar's. Her expression of irritation followed him the entire way there, and he snapped toward the guards when they attempted to greet him. Knowing he was in a foul mood, they both backed down, opening the gates so that Albel could enter. Woltar was wandering on the first floor when he entered the area, and he raised an eyebrow toward him.

"Albel, did you come to visit me?"

"Don't talk nonsense, old man. The others are staying at an inn here. My room's still set up?"

"Of course." Woltar shrugged a bit, looking at the other man carefully. His whole presence was ominous, in an odd way, for he really seemed like a simple frail old man. "I never congratulated you about the Marquis. Though of course with _your_ strength coupled with those Aquarians, that wouldn't be much of a surprise."

Albel took a moment to glower at the old man. He always knew what set him off. At least this time he had enough courtesy not to speak about his father. Without another word, he started toward the stairs, pausing only when he felt Woltar's hand on his arm.

"What do you want now, old man?"

Woltar's expression stayed neutral as he spoke, his voice full of his old wisdom. "You've been traveling with Nevelle's daughter, haven't you."

Nevelle. Albel took a moment before remembering that it was the name of Nel's father. He nodded once, and Woltar paused before finishing up.

"She is a very strong woman."

Albel recalled the conversation he had just had with her at the inn. "....yes." he admitted. "She is."

He watched Woltar's expression change for a bit, and he spoke, but Albel had to shake his head once before he could hear his words. Woltar opened his mouth again. "She is the kind of person I wish my daughter had grown as."

"................"

"Albel, you know that you are much like my son, correct?"

Albel rolled his eyes, starting to walk again. This talk was common, along with Woltar's advice about women. All that Albel had to say was that he didn't need Woltar's advice to catch a woman. They came flocking to him on their own. At least, until they figured out who he was. Then they fled like sheep upon finding a wolf in their pack. He didn't usually care about that though. They were all simpletons anyway. "Just be quiet, old man."

"Wait a moment." Woltar stated, shuffling his way toward Albel. The man frowned; Woltar could be quick when he needed to. His frail body was a very good disguise for him, that much every high ranking man in Airyglyph would know.

The ex-captain spun around, his expression all irritation. "What is it."

"Watch over her, will you?"

Albel blinked two times, then raised an eyebrow. "....what?"

"Nevelle's daughter."

"Is this about those blades you spoke about before? The ones that he had given you?" Albel rolled his eyes. "I saw them in her possession a while back."

"That and this have nothing to do with each other." Woltar stated, nodding his head. A small crooked smile appeared on his face. "And you've taken a liking to her yourself I can see."

He couldn't prevent the incredulous look from crossing his face. Him? Take a liking to an Aquarian? Bah. How foolish! That would _never_ happen. He would almost swear upon it. But if Woltar said so.....

Woltar _did_ have an uncanny habit of knowing things that not even Albel himself knew about himself.....

But he was wrong about that. And Albel could prove it. He again recalled the conversation he had with the woman in the inn. Shaking his head in annoyance, he spoke. "You're getting more foolish each year. She's from Aquaria. That place used to be our enemy!"

"Used to be."

D---. He had a point. Albel simply rolled his eyes again, starting back up toward the stairs. He could tell Woltar was following him rather easily, but when they reached the second floor, Woltar wandered into his room, leaving Albel to his. A frown appeared on the man's face. Well, it was true that Nel was attractive, but so was Maria. And he felt nothing whatsoever toward Maria, so that would mean he did the same for Nel. The last thing he needed to worry about was that anyway. He had his share of lust for battle, and nothing-- not even a woman-- would be able to control that part of him.

He took a seat on his bed, ignoring the maid in the room as he often did. The maid knew well enough not to spend time with idle talk and instead did as she was supposed to and exited, leaving the man alone in his room. A sudden chill ran through him and he lay on his bed, breathing a slow sigh. "That Aquarian scum?"

Curse that stupid Woltar for even bringing the whole idea up. And to make things worse right after he had acted, frankly, like a bastard toward her. Her words to him quite a while back were completely right. Woltar expected Albel the Wicked to watch over an Aquarian? He must be joking. It _was_ good that he hadn't asked for him to watch over Sophia or Maria or one of the others, but really. Such a favor was asking a lot of this man who was now looking up toward the ceiling and clenching one fist to his side. He was trying to keep his eyes open, for every time they closed, he recalled the last words he had spoken to the redhead, and how she had stalked right out of the room afterwards.

Anyway, why would Nel Zelpher need anyone to watch over her? She could take care of herself. At least, she seemed like she could. Albel always acted mean to Woltar, but in actuality he owed the old man a lot, and whatever Woltar told him to do was basically what he ended up doing. Free will or not.

And this time it was anything _but_ free will.

Why the heck did Woltar want him to pay attention to the Aquarian anyway?

"Nevelle's daughter, eh?" he frowned, his eyes involuntarily shutting. To his relief, the previous conversation had finally left his mind and he simply saw black. Slowly, in his mind, the redhead's image reappeared, though, and he shook his head a few times, trying to avoid thinking anything about a certain Ms. Zelpher. "......bah."

He would do as he was told, but never was he going to let on to that, of course. 


	3. Part 3

**Part 3**

Nel had no idea why she was so annoyed with Albel's response to her in the inn. True, she _hadn't_ been expecting anything better from him-- he was very readable in that sense-- but the fact that nothing had changed since the moment that they had met irked her slightly. She had been tempted to prod him with how he probably felt nothing like that toward Fayt Leingod, but she had kept her mouth quiet long enough not to have pointed that out.

The others in the group were much more easy going now, toward everyone. They, with the exception of Albel, all treated each other like they had been childhood friends. Especially Cliff, who made it a habit to pat people on the back sometimes. The movement kind of hurt though, and Nel tried to avoid being close to him as much as she could.

She shouldn't have to mind Albel's distinct separation from the group, since she should be used to it by now. Most often than not he kept at least a few feet away from them when they gathered, and she had noted his expression hadn't changed from calm annoyance for the last who knew how long.

No, it wasn't that she minded. She didn't really care what the Airyglyph ex-captain was doing or not. None of the others did. She knew well enough to mind her own business.

But his response _had_ irritated her somewhat.

Okay, scratch that. It had irritated her _a lot_. The point of this mission was to save the world, not to make friends with everyone in the group-- so technically she had no need at all to talk to the man unless it was necessary.

Nel shook her head a few times. Clair would know what to make of it, she thought to herself. She wished she could visit her old friend, but knew that Arias would be the last place they would take a stop to before returning to Gemity. Lucky for Albel, he was able to see his own friends in Kirlsa. That is, if he really had any. Woltar was probably the closest she knew, and the first time she had seen them talk they didn't seem the friendliest. Then again, that was when Albel was being taken out of the dungeon anyway, so it would have been very odd to have a heartwarming moment between the two at such a place. The last time she had trailed along with Fayt to look through Woltar's mansion, they had crashed into a young servant who took the time to explain that Albel owed much to Woltar and that he used to play there when he was younger. That got her to thinking that Albel the Wicked really _was_ an Elicoorian and not a complete monster. Him? As a child? What a thought. She wondered if he was the type to rip apart stuffed dolls when he got hand of them. He was probably just a spoiled pretty boy anyway.

The woman found herself slowly starting toward Woltar's mansion and quickly stopped in her tracks. The last thing she needed was to talk to anyone in there. They were now allied, she knew, but deep inside she still felt anger when she had to speak with the old man. Her family ties were important-- just not as important as her mission. Or so she attempted to convince herself. She was turning aside right when Adray Lasbard appeared, also heading in the direction of the castle. Nel groaned in her mind but nodded outwardly. Adray burst out into a large smile that she knew was signaling trouble.

"Oh, so you were going to visit the old geezer too, eh?"

Nel shook her head. "I was actually thinking about something.... I guess I got distracted and ended up here. I'm going to head to the grocers."

His smile curved to be a frown for a moment before he continued, in his loud hearty way, "Well, getting food for us is always a good thing, eh?"

"............"

Adray took this as his note to pass her by, and he did, pausing when he was a slight step behind her. "Oh, come to think of it. You know that pretty boy Fayt? You think that he would be a good husband for Clair to have?"

The redhead kept all her restraint that Clair never had when she spoke with her father. "......maybe. But I think he's already taken."

"Taken! By who, that bozo head Cliff?"

"................"

"Well, what he needs is a pretty girl like my daughter, don't you think, Nel?"

She knew she wasn't going to be let off if she stayed any longer so finally responded, "I have to get going now, enjoy yourself at the mansion."

She wandered off afterwards, feeling somewhat sheepish. Clair's father was very eccentric-- completely the opposite of her friend. She hadn't really wanted him to come along with the group, but there wasn't much of a choice. Fayt had decided he would be an asset anyway. He was undoubtedly a good fighter, though slow and much reliant on his spells nowadays. His figure showed enough for it. His posing showed a little too much. She still wondered why on Elicoor he wasn't wearing his shirt. It was very cold in Airyglyph, and still, even there, he wouldn't wear it. Then again, it must have been cold for Albel, in his tank top and with one leg basically out in the open. He never complained though, and he had been raised around in Airyglyph anyway so he must have been used to it. She couldn't understand the man's fashion sense. He wore something a woman would wear. Not that he didn't look good in it. He looked, well, rather nice in it actually.... but she couldn't think of Albel the Wicked taking a moment to get himself nice and tidy before going out to slaughter people as he had done before.

Come to think of it, she had never really seen him as a _man_. Just as the legend of Albel the Wicked-- a bloodthirsty monster that no one could tame. Fellow Elicoorian? Truth, but he seemed so much different in status. Yet, he was a mere mortal, like everyone else. Heck, even like Sophia Esteed.

Now _that_ was a new thought.

Somewhat humored, she headed to the grocer before they needed to rest.

---

"Nel, it's time to wake up."

Out of all people in Fayt and co. the group, Nel Zelpher had not expected to see Albel Nox standing above her, looking somewhat annoyed and ready to prod her with his sword if she didn't wake up quick enough. She rolled over and sat up, unable to hide her irritation. "Why are you here?"

"Because none of the other worms had enough guts to come in here and wake you up."

".......I see." That wasn't surprising in the least. With a sigh, she started to gather her things, pushing him out of the room before she got changed, when she realized that he had called her by her first name. But then he had referred to the others as worms still. That was odd, to say the least. Slightly confused but not really in the mood to show it, she exited the inn door, following Albel's lead to the others.

"We're going to Sphere." Maria announced, taking Fayt's words from his mouth. Fayt simply nodded along with the group, not seeming to mind her bossy qualities at these times. She _was_ the leader of Quark, so she had to have something going for her in order for it not to fall apart. Then again, it was surprising that it never fell apart with Cliff as the leader. Buff he was, but brains people wondered if he really had. 

When either Maria or Fayt said so, it was what was going on. Sphere211 seemed very high tech, especially for someone who had been raised in a undeveloped land like Elicoor. Nel felt a little strange as they walked through into the door on some invisible pathway. Sphere was a large adventure, each of the group had to admit. They met with Blair there, which cleared up any particular questions that Nel had on what was going on. The redhead held her relieved sigh when Fayt proposed to stay a night at Gemity to recover. They knew that they had little time, but they needed all the strength they could manage. In one of the battles there, Maria had gotten injured and Sophia said it was the easiest to heal her at an inn, where there was no threat to danger. Her healing powers were the best of the group, but she had been tired out as well.

No one really paid attention to the others in the group who were hurt, namely Cliff and Albel. Cliff was always getting hurt one way or the other, but like everyone said, he was easy to treat. Klausians just were. Albel on the other hand wouldn't show any pain on his expression so he could be bleeding all over and the only reason someone would know he was hurting was if they saw the blood trailing behind him. Which is what Nel Zelpher spotted that day, as the others dragged Cliff and Maria off into a room to help heal them. Albel seemed somewhat surprised (as much as he had heart to show) that Nel wasn't rushing off with the others as well. He, of course, was planning on heading to his room alone most like every other day.

"You're bleeding." Nel stated, following the man to his room.

Albel simply shrugged, his expression neutral. "We have a day of rest. I'll be recovered by then, fool."

He turned to look at her, as if telling her to exit the room and leave him alone. Which was, she had to admit, the first thought that entered her mind and would be much preferred, if she hadn't begun to worry about what might happen. Of course Albel would be fine like every other day, but lack of blood loss may make him slower. Plus, it wasn't safe to let anyone, Albel or not, stay in such a state until nighttime. With growing resolve, she took a seat next to him, raising one hand. "Don't move."

She could feel his eyes on her as she drew out a symbol with one hand, allowing a green light to envelope the man's form. Slowly, the wound he had received disappeared, and he flinched slightly, getting used to the pain relief. She breathed a slow sigh when she was done, putting a hand to her head. She had used up a little too much MP that day, she figured, and her head was starting to ring. When she recovered enough to speak, she questioned, "Feeling any better?"

"................."

Nel blinked a few times as he pulled out a small bottle from whoknowswhere on him. He raised it toward her and she stared at it, blank. "..huh?"

"Drink, wench."

The woman nodded slowly, doing as she was told. The headache disappeared immediately, and she felt her symbological strength return. Must have been a mental enhancer, she figured. She had no idea what he was doing with one, figuring that he barely ever used symbology himself, but she wasn't complaining. Maybe one of the monsters had dropped one. "..thanks."

"Hmph." his clawed arm gestured toward the door. "If you're done here, I need to rest."

"Alright." she took a moment to stand, then paused, turning back toward him. "Albel?"

"What now?"

"......oh, nevermind."

She felt his eyes on her the entire time as she left, shutting the door quietly behind her. 


	4. Part 4

**Part 4 **

Albel sighed to himself, taking a moment to sharpen his blade as he glanced down toward the fallen creatures piled beneath him. It wasn't anything new for his sword to be so stained lately. He paused mid-stroke when he heard a noise behind him, immediately turning around and swiping toward the sound. To his faint surprise, a familiar redhead was standing there, her daggers raised. Her eyes were narrowed, and he stepped back, raising an eyebrow, mocking. What did the maggot want now?

Without a word, she leaped forward, her daggers clashing against his sword as he raised it instinctively. His expression shifted dangerously. "What do you think you're doing, worm?" Didn't she know her place? She was most definitely not strong enough to defeat him on her own. Or was she just testing him?

She simply tossed her head, charging forward again. She was quick, he had to admit, but there was little power in her attacks. Three swipes he guarded, then threw her aside. Nel spun up again, attacking toward him furiously. Whatever he had done to deserve this, he had no idea, but it was starting to irritate him greatly.

"Snap out of it, wench!" he hissed, his clawed arm raising slightly. Before he could stop himself, he moved forward, the claw catching her right at the stomach. He saw the blood spurt from her open wound, and he felt his heart plummet.

Shoot.

He pulled the weapon out, watching as she dropped down to her knees, her eyes widened slightly. One of her daggers dropped, and he frowned down at her as if saying "look what you did."

How was he supposed to explain this to the others?

Suddenly, he felt him body lurch forward, his sword stopping on the woman's neck. What was going on? If he did any further, the woman wouldn't survive!

It was as if he was moving uncontrollably. When the redhead fell forward, he raised the sword high above her, thrusting down with a smooth movement.

Wait......

Aquarian scum or not, he couldn't just kill her, could he?

Right before the sword hit, he fell back, dropping back and losing consciousness.

---

Instantly, he was up in bed, his breathing somewhat quick. A dream, he figured. Or was it a flashback? He couldn't tell anymore. Sitting up carefully, he glanced around, remembering the blood which stained the room. His blood. Or was it? He shook his head carefully, stumbling to the door. If he had indeed hurt Nevelle's daughter, he would be in for a long lecture and possibly more from Woltar. That, and the image of how he had done the deed was definitely not just. Even if she had indeed taken the initiative, it was too brutal. Taking his instinct, he hurried to Nel's room, slamming the door open. "Nel!"

The woman seemed to have been sleeping soundly for a moment until he had barged in, and her eyes opened at exactly the moment he called her name. He saw her mouth move for a moment, muttering something about her goddess of Apris as she sat up. To his surprise, he found she was wearing very little for her pajamas, a spaghetti strapped white top and who knew what below it. One of the straps fell slightly down her shoulder, which made him pause to catch his breath. If he didn't know better, he would have thought her a very sensual being. The way her half-lidded eyes kept blinking lashes and the utter look of vulnerability (Wait, Nel Zelpher vulnerable? Snap out of it, fool! Not even in your dreams!)--

He hadn't come for a show though, and this he reminded himself. The wench seemed to be alive, and that was good.

But d---, as Cliff would put it, she was hot.

Then she spoke, her voice slurred with sleep. "Albel..? What are you doing here now? I hope you're not planning on slitting my throat again."

For once, he was at a loss for words. Not knowing whatever else to do and knowing if he stayed longer he would start thinking thoughts he should never have, he turned aside, getting ready to leave.

"Wait."

He took a moment to think before pausing, refusing to turn back to look at her. He waited for the sound of her sliding on her bathrobe before finally glancing in her direction. She was standing now, as she always did, her hands to her hips and her feet planted well on the ground. Traces of sleep were disappearing from her face and she looked as she normally did now, besides her clothing.

"What did you come here for?"

".............."

"Come on, Nox. This isn't the first time you've barged into my room, I know, but you never call me by my first name."

Che. She noticed. Albel folded his arms calmly, shrugging. "I was just checking up on you, fool."

"Checking up?"

Hm, that was a bad response. "You heard me."

"Why on Elicoor would you be doing that?"

"It's none of your business, maggot!"

The man spun back around, ready to leave again but pausing when he felt her hand on his arm. She pulled him back a few steps and for some odd reason he allowed her to do so. The tugging was weak, almost questioning to see how he would react. She took a few steps forward and shut the door, then turned to look toward him, returning to her normal posture. "I think it's plenty my business if you barge into my room at who knows what time." her voice was angry but her expression was calm, watching him carefully for any change in expression. He gave no such distinction though, and he could tell she felt somewhat annoyed at this too.

"I told you it's none of your business." Albel raised an eyebrow toward her. "But if you're so curious to know, I dreamed that I killed you, that's all."

Nel's eyes widened for a split second and she stepped back, stopping when her back touched the door. "..and what? You came here to make sure I was dead?"

"I came to make sure you were safe, fool. Woltar and the king wouldn't allow for me to go around killing members of that maggot's group. Aquarian scum or not." Of course, he had to explain himself. It would seem like he had some feeling of caring if he hadn't. And Albel the Wicked sure as heck didn't care for this wench standing in front of him. But he did wish that she would adjust her robe, for it was starting to fall open enough for him to see the undershirt she was wearing.

She seemed to notice his glances and folded her arms. "And that was it?"

"What else is there to come here for, worm?"

"............" Nel stepped away from the door, as if allowing him permission to leave. He waited for her to start back toward the bed before taking a step forward.

Quietly, he spoke, much on instinct. "....sorry for waking you up."

It was more of a mutter, he noted, when it came out of his mouth, but it was hard enough for him to speak. Before he was fifteen years of age, it would have been the most normal thing he would say. Albel wasn't born like he had turned out anyway. Only after Glou Nox's death...

"Albel," she started, her voice quiet as well, but loud enough to interrupt his thoughts yet again. "You must really hate me."

"Hm?" He paused, turning to look toward her. Her gaze was lowered and she took a seat on the bed, shaking her head.

"You had a dream that you killed me, correct? It's not that I don't understand how you feel. You already told me how you feel no different toward us all-- to you we'll always only be 'Aquarian scum'."

A nagging voice tugged on him as she spoke, and he frowned, putting a hand on the doorknob. He urged his hand to turn it but it wouldn't, and he shook his head. "............."

"So." Nel finished, her question echoing the one he had asked her in the first night of Peterny. "You hate me, don't you?"

Albel's head spun for a moment, his hand going down toward the Crimson Scourage. The sword itself had asked him who he hated, and although he wished to hate this annoying wench, he knew he didn't. She had spoken the truth to him before, though, and he knew he owed her the same. It was the Aquarian way to trust to earn trust, anyway. Er... not that he ever thought the Aquarian way was any more correct than any other. If anything, the logic was weak. But for this case... The man took a deep breath, then shook his head, keeping his gaze toward the door. His response was quiet. "...no."

She seemed to have caught it. "No?" her voice betrayed her incredulousness and he didn't bother to look toward her. "But.."

"...I don't hate anyone but myself. Understand? I _can't_ hate you, maggot." He thought he felt his sword vibrate slightly, responding to the words echoing how he had gained ownership of the weapon.

He waited a moment for a response, and when he didn't get one, he managed to turn the doorknob just slightly before he felt something warm press against his back. He turned his head faintly, feeling his heart skip a beat when he found she had wrapped her arms around him from behind, giving him a quick squeeze before pulling away. His mind churned for a few moments. Did she just hug him? Did the Aquarian scum come close enough to --

His eyes went toward his hand, which had lingered on the doorknob instead of moving down toward the sword. His clawed arm hung limp, as if it had no objections either. It was an odd feeling, he had to admit. In the last nine years, no one had come close to doing anything similar to that. It was a confusing feeling, and deep down, he knew if any of the others had tried it, he would have had their heads before they could say anything afterwards. Was there something about her that didn't allow him to do so?

"..............."

The redhead looked up toward him for a moment before shaking her head, turning around. "Tomorrow will be a big day. We should get some sleep."

Albel's eyes followed her as she sat back on the bed, and finally he tore his gaze away, opening the door. He managed a quiet "hmph" before exiting the room. Even when he was out of the room, he could still feel the remainder of warmth against his back and the faint scent of strawberries lingering in his nostrils. He raised his free hand to his forehead, frowning. The scum dare touch him without his permission? Bah. He cursed himself inwardly for not immediately pushing her aside. The last thing he needed was any sort of sentiment in the woman. They were merely traveling together, that was all, and they were former enemies. Of course, he had admitted that he did not hate her. He had to admit he didn't hate any of the scum he was traveling with. Dislike, yes. Hate, not quite. That was saved for himself and only himself. Not hating didn't necessarily mean taking a liking to though.

If only he was able to _feel_ like the others, he might not have been so annoyed all of the time. There was no changing him, though, and he knew it-- in the last few years he had only grown worse. The stronger he got, the stronger he needed his opponents to be so he could triumph over them. He had to admit Fayt's victory over him had ruined him for quite some time. That and the bastard Vox not allowing for him to train until he got out of the dungeon. It was a pity he didn't have a chance take the other captain's head instead.

No matter. The red-haired Aquarian hadn't spoken at all about his response toward him. The hug was unexpected and he wondered if even she had planned it out herself. Surprising, since he could have sworn she, like the other women, had been somewhat afraid of him in the beginning. 

Well, he decided, the gesture wasn't all so bad, even though he had no idea what it had meant. Surely the wench didn't take a liking to him either. Perhaps it was just another way to show her hatred-- by trying to confuse him with her womanly advances.

He sighed. She wasn't known to be one of the deceitful sorts of wenches. It must be something else. Plus it wasn't as if he minded. He hadn't instantly had his sword to her throat or anything. And, he had to admit, the few times he had attempted to call her by her first name hadn't left a bad taste in his throat like it had to the others. Especially Cliff. Calling that oaf by first name was just... ugh. But it _was_ funny to see the reaction.

That didn't mean that he would be doing so in a regular basis though. Never, in front of Fayt, would he dare call anyone by their first name. He did slip once on Maria's, while in the Gemity weapon shop, but that was only because the worm wouldn't know exactly which scum of the group he was talking about unless he had said so. "The other blue haired maggot" wouldn't have gone too well. Same with the "gun armed fool." That would have gotten negative response from Fayt Leingod, who seemed eager to please all of the people of his group. He especially seemed fond of those in Quark. Albel had overheard a conversation between Cliff and Fayt once where Fayt had been admiring Mirage's beauty. He heard that it wasn't the first time, but he found himself somewhat confused. Mirage was mature, yes. Beautiful? Ehhh.... Maybe she just wasn't his type.

Not like that mattered either. Type or not, he wasn't the kind to get settled on wooing someone just like that. Plus, his "type" just didn't exist in the group. Sophia was closest, but she was much to annoying to speak to and she also tended to scoot away from Albel as much as possible. Come to think of it, the only person who had really willingly talked to him had been Nel. He always shot back a nasty retort or two when she did acknowledge him, but at the very least she had. He remembered he had annoyed her quite a bit by calling her a fool in the caves of barr as well. Well. Once a fool, always a fool. Too bad that same fool was the one who was leaving him in utter confusion when it came to his feelings. Or lack thereof. 


	5. Part 5

_Author's Note_: Ahhh, I forgot that there would obviously be spoilers in this.. XD Well, I guess that goes unsaid now. Ack! Oh, and those o' you who were wondering about why some chapters are super short in comparison to others, that would be because I originally just wrote this all in one .doc, but this would be an awful long one shot (don't wanna torture people into that again like in moi FoR ficcy .; )....so yeah. I forgot to consider better chapter markers. Sorry! 

**Part 5**

Nel pondered for a moment after he had left about why she hadn't questioned him about his sudden change of attitude. Then, she pondered about what in dear Apris had possessed her to attempt to hug the man. And why hadn't he pulled away as she had expected? She shook her head. More likely than not, he had been just about as surprised as she was at the movement and hadn't had time to think about it. Which was a good thing, because the last thing she needed was him mistakenly thinking that she had more feelings toward him than she let on.

Truth be told, she hadn't asked him any particular questions because she had a sense that she knew how Albel felt, if only slightly. Woltar had took her aside one of the days they had stayed in Kirlsa, explaining that Albel the Wicked hadn't always been as wicked as he might have let on. At first she had found it hard to believe, but there seemed to remain some sort of odd sense of sanity remaining in the warrior's crimson gaze. He was just hardened because of unsatisfactory events that had happened in his life. Nel herself had her share of losses, and she related slightly to the loss of a father like he did. Still, she didn't know what she would have done if she had been in Albel's position to have been saved by her father at the cost of his life.

The woman let out a slow sigh. She had to admit she was learning more about Nox than she ever wanted to know. A touch of a smile appeared on her face, as she considered the man's words. Hatred to only oneself.... She figured that he chose to stay alone for fear that he would lose someone or something precious to him again. Perhaps that's why he had seemed so dismayed when they had first beaten him. The whole group could hear him scream when he was defeated. Fayt's words of Albel being weak must have been enough shame for him to incur for quite some time. A tinge of pity went through her mind before she shook it away. Albel would be angry if anyone would think to pity him. She couldn't help but feel somewhat badly though. If he had admitted that he had hated her, that would have been the end of that. But now, she was starting to worry. Slightly. Was the man really stable enough to continue traveling along with the group? Granted, he was strong, much more than any of them could take on alone, with the exception of maybe Fayt if he was having a good day. If he were to betray them, they would suffer a great loss that not even Mirage or Adray could really fill in.

Nel didn't mind him being around so much as she had before, she had to admit, but she still hadn't been too fond of him. She had not known how to respond to the man's comment, so had taken the only gesture of kindness she could give him in return. That mixed with her half-asleep stupor that temporarily relieved all fear of anyone for the time as well.

The woman noticed in the next few days that Albel had returned to how he had been toward the end of the first time they had fought together. Now with the lack of symbology, the man made it a habit to toss her what she needed if she had gotten injured against the monsters nearby. Like an unspoken truce, she took it upon herself to heal him as well, each taking the other for granted to heal them if need be. Of course, when Fayt was in battle each took more notice toward their leader, but whenever Cliff or the others were around, they were the least of either's concern. It was funny how no one in the group really noticed-- and if they did, they said nothing of it. It was also funny how the more that Fayt was off and shopping and other such errands, the less harsh Albel's words were toward her. In front of the group, though, he returned instantly to his normal persona, staying away from the group and being as quiet as humanly possible. Besides a few annoyed "hmphs" and "bah"s along the way.

Once, when they were in Aquaria, Nel stumbled across Albel who was taking a seat on the table of the conference room. It was kind of surprising to see him there out of all places-- though not as so when Fayt had said he had spotted Albel in a church in Arias. Albel the Wicked and the image of a church just didn't go along very well. He didn't speak, but he acknowledged her presence with a quick shrug.

Nel felt somewhat awkward to have to leave the man in the room without saying anything, so she spoke, quietly. "What do you think about what was said in Arkives?"

"Did the maggot tell you about the kid?"

She took a moment to translate. Did Fayt tell her about... Oh. She nodded. "He let me know all that you did, along with Cliff. The rest I heard from Blair." she strayed to the opposite side of the room, leaning against a wall. "We're..only programs from 4D, then?"

"Bah." a pause, then quietly, "We have our own feelings, don't we? As the scum said, as long as we have those, we really _do_ exist."

The woman nodded. It was hard to think that they were actually only programs running around in a created world by other forms of life. All the struggles that she had gone through had just been a part of the program she was placed into. She looked down toward her hands. Then again, maybe it was just impossible for a program to understand that they were a program. Maybe they were programmed to think that...

"Don't think about it too hard. You'll make yourself sick."

Nel glanced toward Albel, who had his arms folded. His expression was neutral, but the faint spark of his eyes beneath his hair looked somewhat softer than usual. She couldn't get herself to believe the man in front of her was also only a part of this large program of the world. When her heart skipped a beat, she felt more alive than she had before she had found out the truth. And then she paused. Wait. This was Albel the Wicked here. What was wrong with her..

Albel turned away finally, ending her confused state of mind, and she shook her head a few times. "W--well. You're right. I think I'll go lay down on my bed. You know where I am if you need me."

"Bah. When would I need you, wench?"

She smiled faintly, starting toward the door. "I'll leave my door unlocked."

The woman heard him grumble a bit as she started back to her room. When she entered it, Fayt came by soon before she could sleep, his expression complete tiredness. "We need to head back to Sphere." he said simply, and Nel frowned. Berial and Belzeber had taken quite a lot of stamina to defeat in Sphere, and Blair had told them to return after a rest. She would be waiting for them, and then they could move on. It wasn't the easiest to leave Sphere once they entered it, but somehow they had gotten them to manage. She was also busily gathering all the information she could. The group owed her, big time. Nel wondered how it must feel for one of the creators of these people, helping the AI system be freed from their control.

"Fayt.. you need to get some rest. You look exhausted."

Fayt attempted a small smile, his feeble form somewhat shaky with restlessness. "I know, but it's hard to sleep with all of this going on."

"Don't worry. We have Cliff and Albel on our side. Those two can take on anything." Nel inwardly did a double-take as she spoke, though her voice didn't waver. She had meant to say Cliff and Mirage, not Albel. Sure, he _was_ strong, but he was less reliable as a _person_ than Mirage. The Klausians were very good melee fighters in general. It must have been because she had Albel on her mind now more than she used to. Wait, did she just admit that-- oh, nevermind.

"I hope you're right."

Nel steered him to the door, a frown on her face. "Now go get some sleep. The last thing we need is to lose you."

Fayt simply nodded, and she had to watch him walk to the other room and enter it. She sighed, shutting her door and listening as Mirage spoke to Fayt from the room beside them. She had no idea why Mirage was always in Fayt's room, but maybe she was just tiding it up. Or she had nothing else to do. One of the two. Or maybe both. She wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, it sure wasn't important, or else Fayt would have questioned it too. With a sigh, Nel lay down on her bed, taking a moment to shut her eyes. There were so many problems going on nowadays, with the recovery of Arias and other places. Fayt's exhaustion would cost the others, she knew, and she didn't want him stressing too much. It was much too unhealthy. Even if they _were_ programmed. Then there was Albel.

...not that he was too important in her mind. Just because she had grown to feel somewhat safer with his presence around meant nothing. Her thoughts straying toward him when she had nothing else to think of also must mean nothing. She figured she was just stressed out. Sure, Albel was very appealing, and he _was_ taking the time to act somewhat more friendly (at least for him) toward her when the others weren't around, but that was only because they were fellow Elicoorians. They had some sort of bond to this part of the world. That was all. Right?

She tested her theory. She slowly closed her eyes, trying to capture the first image that crossed her head. Sure enough, the first phrase that entered her mind was "Albel Nox." She opened her eyes, breathed a sigh, then tried again. Shut eyes. Nox. Open eyes. Shut eyes. Nox. Open eyes. Shut eyes. Nox.

Make the goddess-forsaken man get out of her mind!

Right then, the door opened, revealing none other than said Nox, which made Nel jump and sit up, rubbing at her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Come here, fool." he stated simply, and she sighed, knowing he was being careful not to wake Fayt next door. She followed him outside, to where she heard Fayt had spoken with Maria while Cliff and herself had first gone to speak with the king of Airyglyph.

Once they were in a safer place to speak, she immediately countered. "And what did you call me? I thought I told you ages ago that--"

He raised a hand, signaling for silence, and she paused, looking up where Cliff and Mirage were now heading for the castle, the woman giggling a little as Cliff scratched his head sheepishly. Nel raised an eyebrow. They looked so much like they were....married. Or something. She shuddered at the thought. Of course, marrying was an honor, but in this case she felt bad for Mirage. She always one-upped the other Klausian on everything anyway. Maybe she liked it that way. She wasn't so sure about Cliff's end.

Of course Nel had noticed Cliff's adoration toward Fayt, though. Fayt didn't figure to mind, but then again, he might have just been oblivious and thought Cliff was just a friendly person. He _did_ declare himself as Fayt's bodyguard and had vowed to protect him anyway. Kind of suspicious. She watched as the Klausian forms faded into the castle and then turned back toward Albel.

"So..what did you want?"

She felt a faint bit of annoyance when he simply shrugged.

"We'll be going to finish going through Sphere tomorrow if Fayt didn't tell you." she added in. "You're prepared, right?"

"Bah. I'm always prepared, maggot."

The redhead was getting used to conversations like these now. Every time she thought of Albel, the thoughts were much more bright than actually speaking to the man. He always shot out such remarks without any sort of delay at all. She wondered a few times to herself if he indeed hated her and just didn't know it, since he was too busy hating himself.

She glanced up toward him. He was still wearing his normal clothing, the tank top and somewhat revealing skirt. He was unbearably skinny, probably due to the lack of food that she had heard Airyglyph had been suffering with. She had never had to starve herself, so she wouldn't know how it felt to be so painfully thin. It was almost a miracle how much strength he could pack in such a form. His face structure was a mix between beautiful and handsome, though his expression always cost him many points on the scale. She, on the other hand, had gotten half way dressed to sleep before she had given up and laid down on the bed, meaning she was wandering around with her bathrobe on to cover her normal black top. It was going to get dirty outside, she decided, and felt somewhat annoyed that she hadn't thought about that when she had followed him. The silence allowed her to think about many things. He didn't seem like he was going to say any more, either.

Nel opened her mouth, then shut it, thinking that two can play the game as well. He had been the one to call her out, so he should be the one to initiate the conversation. So instead, she would take the time to admire him.

Er.. no, that wasn't right either.

It was just that he _did_ look even more attractive with the moonlight shining over him and accentuating his black-blonde hair. He stood in a way that allowed her gaze free access to his uncovered thigh, and if she didn't know better, she would have thought he had simply dragged her out of her room to look him over. She tore her gaze away and back up toward his face. The silence was killing her.

"If you have nothing to say, I'll be going."

She turned, then paused when she heard him walk toward her. She stayed standing perfectly straight as he leaned over, speaking quietly into her ear. "I just wanted to say thank you."

His voice was much softer than before, almost childish, and she could hear a waver come across his words. Was he afraid to say the words? Why couldn't he just have said them normally?

Then again, that would be unlike him. She was already surprised that he had not added in a derogatory comment after the statement. She made no movement. "..what did I need to be thanked for?"

He pulled away, and she could tell. His warm breath against her neck faded, and she shivered involuntarily. His tone returned to normal. "Oh, the usual, maggot. Healing me in battle. That one day in Gemity. I never had a chance to thank you."

Nel sighed to herself in annoyance. There he goes again with the maggot talk. He had dragged her out on a random night to thank her for something that had happened days ago? Ugh. She had to admit she hadn't been expecting it though, so it was a pleasant surprise. "Don't worry about it. I was just doing what I wanted to do." She glanced toward him. "Is that all?"

No response. She figured that meant yes, and started walking back, pausing when she heard his footsteps trailing hers. With a sigh, she turned around, stopping and then biting back a cry when he crashed into her, obviously distracted. He was stronger than she had expected, and she stumbled back a few feet. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, she would have landed on the floor. Nel blinked a few times, caught in a rather awkward situation. If she thought to move, she would probably be dropped, and she was being supported solely by the man's right arm. Of course, she could just grab a hold of him and pull herself up, but that would be just about as awkward. Instead, she just simply blinked up toward him, hoping that he would have enough courtesy to pull her up. Luckily for her, he did. Albel took a few steps back, pulling the woman back to her feet and waiting for her to steady herself before he moved his arm aside.

"S--sorry about that." she stated lamely. It wasn't really her fault; it was mostly because he hadn't stopped when she had. She wondered if he had something on his mind to distract him from noticing that she had turned back toward him. His expression _did_ look somewhat cloudy again.

Albel said nothing, simply passing her by and heading toward the inn. She frowned. Fayt and the others were allowed to stay in the castle, but Albel had been sent to the inn, she knew. There just wasn't enough space. Or that was how they had logically kicked him out. Truthfully it was probably just because he was from Airyglyph, and being in Aquaria was more than a pain for him and Aquarians alike. She allowed him to walk a significant amount before she finally shook her head. "Albel!"

He paused, folding his arms but not speaking.

"Here. I'll walk with you." she hurried over to catch up to him, to which he immediately scowled.

"I'm not a child, worm."

Nel shrugged a bit, staying beside him. He was purposely slowing down though, for he was allowing her to keep pace. It was these small nuances that she found she enjoyed about him the most. "I know."

The woman eyed him for a moment, then did something that she hadn't thought to do before. Slowly, she raised one hand, placing it on top of the mechanical arm beside her. He visibly flinched, but didn't move aside.

"What do you think you're doing, maggot?"

She ran her hand down to the tip, frowning at how hard the clawed ends were. If she got too close to them, they could easily shred her. She made a mental note to walk on the other side of the man next time. "Doesn't it feel odd to have this?"

"Eh? I've had it for nine years, wench. It's nothing out of the ordinary now."

Nine years... reminded her of what Woltar had said. "..I heard about what happened to your father."

Albel Nox stopped midstep, turning his gaze toward hers. She immediately regretted her words. His eyes blazed with the mentioning of his relative, and he narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

Using his words against him, she responded, "You heard me."

"Did that old man Woltar tell you?" he hissed, his expression turning utterly dangerous. One hand instinctively went to her dagger holstar, though the woman hoped she wouldn't have to take the weaponry out. If he was to fight her, she would more than likely not make it to the next day.

She kept her voice steady. "What if he did?"

The man immediately slammed a fist into the wall beside her and she cringed as it crumbled slightly. "Don't talk about my father, wench." The words were spoken through his teeth, and she knew that that should be the end of that conversation. Still, she wanted to press her luck, if only slightly. If all else failed, she knew Aquaria well enough to make a run for it. Hopefully she was just faster than him to escape.

"My father was killed by that same Woltar," she stated slowly. "I'm not saying that I know how you feel, because I probably don't. It's just that what has happened in the past is already past. You shouldn't worry about all of that anymore."

"Don't try to lecture me!"

Nel stepped back a few feet until she was standing completely against the wall. It was a good time to make a mental note _never_ to anger the Airyglyph ex-captain-of-the-Black-Brigade if one valued their life.

"You don't understand what I've had to go through! There hasn't been a single day that I haven't recalled what happened then! If I was stronger-- if I hadn't been such a coward when I was younger, it never would have happened!" Albel shook his head a few times, "I should have just died back then!"

That triggered something inside the woman much like the anger that had been triggered into the man in front of her. Immediately, all thoughts of fear escaped from her mind. "Don't you dare say that! Your life is precious! If it wasn't, your father would have never given himself up for it!"

Albel paused for a moment, stepping back. His anger seemed to be fading slightly, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet. "Don't you think that I know that, fool? That's why I need to be stronger... I can't stay like the coward that I was when I was young." he took in a deep breath before finishing, "That's why I hate myself. Someone who's lived like you have would never understand what I've gone through. You haven't had to starve and watched the people you loved starve to death. You haven't had to see someone sacrifice themselves for your sake."

Nel frowned. "Maybe I haven't. But the feeling of someone sacrificing themselves for my sake is the same that I had when Tynave and Farleen were sent off as decoys to allow us to escape. That's why I had to go back for them. I couldn't just leave them behind.."

"I didn't have a choice, wench! My father was killed because of me! Because of my weakness! I--"

The woman shook her head, grabbing a hold of his arm. "Albel..you don't need to be afraid of losing anyone anymore. You're strong. You _know_ that. You can open yourself up again."

Albel simply looked down toward her, his expression hidden by the long locks of his hair. She had a strange feeling that she should be on her guard, and she was ready to draw her daggers when she felt his clawed arm move. Instead of going to attack her, though, he brought her to him, resting her head on his chest. She blinked a few times, surprised, but couldn't get herself to mind. He was most definitely odd, she decided. Before she could speak, he released her, stepping aside. When he spoke, his voice was cold as always. "Make sure the others don't leave me behind tomorrow, wench."

Nel watched as he walked off, acting as though nothing strange had happened at all. The next few days he was perfectly normal. Or as normal as he could seem. This meant, basically, that he was looking pissed off and standing behind the group. She made no move to speak to him, and he did the same. Blair allowed them access to teleport out of Sphere, after all her hard work, which allowed them to go to Styx. It was the first time Nel had gone there, and she was more than unhappy to see the stronger Executioners waiting for them. The group was strong, but these Executioners weren't creatures that would stand for a beating so quickly as the monsters on Elicoor. Thank goodness for Maria's communication device to allow them access to the Diplo. The last thing they needed was to be overrun by these strange monsters who could cast magic and do things that none of the other random battles had done before.

Once in the Diplo, Nel immediately felt an impending sense of doom when it came to their sleeping quarters. There were obviously not enough rooms, for the crew each had their separate rooms. Actually, everyone had their separate rooms, spare for two female attendants in a far room in the east and the two Elicoorians who were recruited. Fayt looked apologetic when he explained that the Diplo would have nowhere else to stay, and Nel felt even more annoyed to note that the room that she would have to share with Albel Nox would have one bed. It would take some smooth talking to get him to stay on the floor, that was for sure. The two hadn't spoken to each other unless it was necessary since the time they had been in Aquaria, and the redhead kept her gaze lowered as they headed to rest.

If she hadn't been paying enough attention, she would have crashed straight into Lieber, who she had to admit annoyed her to all ends. He saluted toward them goofily, then glanced around, obviously on the look out for any sign of Maria. She felt bad for Maria. She must really be oblivious of Lieber's advances... which was just sad. Poor girl. She wondered if Lieber would ever get enough courage to ask the leader of Quark out, then hoped that it would be a no. Maria's response would more than likely crush him, and if she actually agreed.... Apris help them. She didn't want to be around to see that one.

Albel took a seat in the only chair of the guest room that they were in, his arms folded as they looked toward the empty screen. The technology was much too high for either of the Elicoorians to know what it was, and she frowned, knowing that there were people even in her group who were so used to these machines that it seemed nothing new to them. Their adventuring with Fayt Leingod had most definitely caused them to learn a whole lot about the universe, that was for one. And she had thought they were simply engineers from Greeton. What a mistake that was. She was just glad that she hadn't ended up killing them. That would have helped the whole universe fall apart pretty quickly. At least the universe as they knew it. That would also not have allowed for Airyglyph and Aquaria's alliance as well. Which would also mean she would not have to be traveling with this man who was seated across from her this very minute. They owed the two "engineers" a lot. Still, this was preventing her from visiting Clair, who had an awful habit of being worried when she didn't need to. Nel wondered if they would be allowed to stop by Arias so she could check up on her friend, then shook the thought aside. There was just too much business to do.

When she stopped wondering about how her friend was doing, she noticed that he had turned to keep his gaze on her instead of the screen. Immediately, she felt a tinge of embarrassment and she blinked a few times. "W--what?"

The man simply shook his head, moving back to look at the screen. She frowned a bit. The bed that she was sitting on was much too small for more than one person, that was for sure. The room itself wasn't really made for more than one person in general. She had no idea how this was going to work out. Couldn't she have shared a room with a female at least? How inconsiderate. 


	6. Part 6

**Part 6**

Albel smirked faintly at the obvious distress apparent on the redhead's face. Sure, he wasn't the most thrilled at having to share a room with the wench either, but it was a heck of a lot better than being stuck with someone like Cliff. She was probably thinking that staying with the oaf herself would have been preferable. The thought irked him a bit and he pushed it aside. His eyes scanned the odd computer screen in front of him. However much he studied it, he couldn't come to figure anything about it. He had to admit, he was more of a fighter than a technological expert. Not that he minded. That was what people like Maria and Fayt were there for. Maybe even Sophia. Though she seemed rather worthless even when it came to that. If she didn't know healing symbology, she would have been just in the way. Adray had his share of attacking with symbology and he was at the very least more apt to fighting in combat as well. The whole idea of using a staff to attack was just silly.

"W--what?"

The man flinched faintly, noticing that he had somehow turned around to look toward the woman while he was thinking. He shook his head, turning back to the screen. For some odd reason he felt somewhat warm, and he wondered if the ship had some sort of heating mechanism. He moved forward to touch the computer pad. Nothing. The last thing he needed to do was break the cursed thing, so he decided to leave it be and sit back a little.

It took a long moment of silence before she seemed to gain enough courage to speak again. "So.."

So? So what? Albel rolled his eyes, keeping his eyes on the blank screen as though it was showing him the most interesting images he had ever seen before. If she was planning on starting a conversation she would have to try harder. He had to admit they had not spoken privately since the incident in Aquaria. The place was sure to give him more nightmares than not lately. Not only was it his ex-enemy headquarters, but he had thrown his temper toward the woman there as well. That being said, he had also attempted to _hold onto her_, and she hadn't put up much of a resistance. It confused him a bit, but he figured it was just returning the gesture she had done to him prior. Nothing else had changed.

She didn't seem like she was planning on saying any more. Talkative wench, wasn't she? With a sigh, he turned toward her, placing a frown on his face. "Hm?"

"How are we supposed to sleep in this room?"

Albel glanced around the small room, then pondered the same thing. She didn't expect him to stay on the floor, did she? Ugh, then again it wasn't like the wench was used to being on the floor either. The man frowned. It wouldn't be too bad to waste a day normally, but lack of sleep could inhibit his skills for the next day. Maybe he could scare one of the cabin members of the Diplo into getting him his own place to stay. And then risk the annoyance of Fayt Leingod? Maybe not such a good idea. Outwardly he didn't do much other than give a small shrug. There was barely any walking space in the room as is. He decided it would probably mean he would have to get some sleep in the chair he was sitting in at the moment. How irritating. The Diplo was definitely in need of more space, that was for one.

The man realized after a moment's silence that she was waiting for a response. With an uncaring gesture, he tapped the top of the chair. "I'll stay here, I guess."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that she was displeased with the answer-- but couldn't come up with any other arrangement either. Defeated, she nodded. "..alright."

Albel took a glance at the bed. He doubted that even if it _were_ bigger, she would allow him access to it anyway. And anyway, on such a small structure as it was now, it was a tight enough fit for one person. The only way that two people could ever fit was if they were on top of each other or something. He shook his head, feeling the room warm again at the thought. Blasted heater. For some reason it didn't seem to affect Nel, though. She was wearing as much as he was, even more maybe. Her skirt was the only part of her clothing that really allowed much access to her flesh anyway, and if she spotted someone's eyes roaming, he assumed they would get knocked down pretty quickly.

... not that he was interested in that kind of stuff anyway.

The man turned back to glance over toward her when he heard her stand up, taking a moment to plant her feet on the floor as she always did, her hands going to her sides. Without thinking, he spoke. "Going somewhere?"

"To look around the Diplo." she announced. "Sitting around here makes me kind of restless." she glanced toward him. "Are you going to stay here?"

"Hmph. There's nothing of interest to me here anyway. I think I might get a little bit of rest myself."

Nel raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "Alright. If you're tired, I don't mind if you take a nap on the bed anyway. I'll be back soon."

He watched as she left, then eyed the bed cautiously. A nap _did_ sound appealing, and if he was to rest the rest of the night on this hard chair, it would be good to at least get rid of some fatigue while he could. Slowly, he took a seat on the bed, pausing before he laid back, looking up to the ceiling. When he fell asleep he didn't know, but he immediately woke again when he heard the door open, the redhead entering slowly. She looked, well, exhausted. Somewhat irritated at being woken up, the man feigned sleep as she walked toward him.

The redhead paused when she reached the side of the bed, and he could feel her eyes scanning him carefully. "..Albel?" she tried once, and he felt her hand on his shoulder. His first instinct was to swat her hand aside and get up, but he resisted the urge, still letting her think that he was asleep. Of course, he wasn't ungentlemanly enough to allow her to find somewhere else to sleep, though, so if she had moved away and let him stay there, he would have gotten up soon enough. Instead, she leaned over him. The man wondered whatever on Elicoor she was doing, and was just about to open one eye lazily when he felt a soft touch on his forehead. The eye opened slightly, just in time to catch her as she pulled away, her face just slightly red. He paused a moment to figure out what had happened. Did the wench just--

It took all his concentration not to lift his hand to touch his forehead. She had obviously thought he was asleep, or else she would have never kissed him. The next thing he noticed was that she was trying to wrap the bedsheets around him. The charade had gone on for enough, he figured, and he stirred, allowing her to figure that he was awake. For once, he thought he saw some spark of concern in her emerald gaze. "Did I wake you up?"

The question was so soft that he wondered if she had even asked it. Sitting up, he sighed. "Took you long enough, maggot."

He gestured for her to sit beside him, which she did, still looking more than exhausted. He knew that she was longing for sleep, and it wasn't of his nature to keep her up any longer than need be. If she was tired the next day, it would only drag the group down.

Albel had no idea what had possessed him to move further, but his body moved involuntarily as she took a seat beside him, his right arm stiffly bringing her close to him. Before she could resist, he leaned down, brushing his lips against her forehead. Did the heater turn on _again_? Or was it just that the woman was causing Albel the Wicked to blush? Impossible! But the way that she looked up toward him, her tired expression allowing her eyes to shut faintly enough to make her lashes stand out more than before...

The woman seemed to understand what this meant, her face turning the same shade of her hair for a moment before returning to normal. "You were awake.."

"Ah, don't worry about that, wench. Get some sleep." with that, he released her, standing up and heading toward the chair. When he didn't hear her getting settled, he turned back to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing.."

He noted that she was looking through her bag, then figured what was wrong. With a sigh, he headed to the door. Nel glanced toward him, faintly surprised. She raised an eyebrow in question and Albel shrugged. "Call me back in when you're done dressing."

The woman blinked twice, then gave a nod. He had no idea why to bother getting changed to get to sleep. Then again, he was the type who would immediately think to shower when he woke and have a fresh outfit on the next morning. (Of course, with the exception of when he had gone through an exceptionally bloody battle prior. It wouldn't do to dirty the bed either.) If that wasn't the case, his hair would be much less straightened, he knew. It wasted time to get changed into something for sleep.

The man tapped his fingers against his metal arm, wondering why it always took the scum so long to get dressed. Then he also realized something. She had been incredibly tired-- she hadn't fallen asleep and forgotten to call him back in, right?

Irritated, he put a hand to the doorknob when he felt it turn, finding himself face to face with the fellow Elicoorian. Nel looked up toward him, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry I finished too early for you to peek." she stated dryly.

"Hmph. I thought you fell asleep, that's all. Why would I be interested in watching you change, worm?" The nerve of the woman. He hardly knew why he had taken a moment just a few moments back to hold onto her. Then again, he hardly knew why she hadn't pulled away. Probably due to how she was tired-- or so he figured. He wondered if she still hated him. More than likely. He had taken it up to himself to try and act as normally as possible around her alone, but when the others were around he instantly reverted to his Albel the Wicked show, and he couldn't seem to make it go away. It was just easier to scare people than it was to be nice to them.

Nel Zelpher simply shrugged, heading to the bed and stifling a yawn. He watched her crawl under the covers for a moment before taking a seat on the chair across from her. He couldn't help but smirk faintly at her form. She seemed awfully trusting to be able to sleep in his presence. He had attempted to kill her once in her sleep. Of course he had said he wasn't planning on really doing the deed, if she hadn't parried the attack, he didn't know for sure if he would have pulled the sword aside.

Albel took a moment before speaking as she pressed a button next to her which triggered something that was the light source of the room. "Don't sleep yet."

The response was a murmured "mm?"

"I have a question for you, maggot."

"Don't tell me you're doing this again." she was facing down on the bed, he figured, because he could barely make out her words. "If you try to cut me now, I don't know if I can defend myself."

"Hm, good point. Maybe I will." to prove his point, he reached for his sword. Surprisingly, she didn't flinch.

"..it's okay. I trust you won't do such a thing."

Trust. Such a word the maggots threw out so easily. Albel frowned to himself, glad it was dark enough so she couldn't see his expression. So the wench trusted him too? Is that why she had kissed his forehead? Or was that just a curse?

"So.. what's the question I need to answer this time?"

The man paused for a moment before responding, his voice quiet. "If you hate me, why did you kiss me?"

If the woman was at all surprised at the question, she didn't show it. Instead, she spoke, her voice revealing nothing but sincerity. "..I don't hate you. I haven't since that night in Aquaria."

"..............."

"You're not a hideous monster like I thought you were, that's all. You're like all of us. You're part of the group now, and if I don't hate the others, I can't hate you." she paused, then continued, her voice still muffled. "I only kissed you because you seemed so soundly asleep."

"You didn't mean anything of it, right, wench?"

Nel sounded like she rolled over, her words now clear. "You didn't mean anything when you kissed me, right?"

Silence reigned the room.

"What if I did?" he started, his tone taking up mockery. She shot the question straight back at him though, which allowed silence to take over again. He shook his head. Why _had_ he kissed her? Sure, because he was just returning what she did. But that wasn't necessary. There must have been some other reason. Ugh, and the blasted heater kept turning on when he thought about her or something. He just felt his face warm slightly when she spoke lately. The feeling only occurred when they were alone though, and this he noted carefully. When they were in their group, they were about as distant as they had started. Or so he felt. The others never questioned it.

"Did you mind it?" Nel finally asked. It was another one of the questions he could shoot back at her, he knew, but this time he thought to respond.

The first thing that came to mind was: "No."

He paused after he spoke. Of course he had minded, what was he saying!? The wench thought that she could take advantage of him while he was on! But truthfully, it hadn't hurt, so there wasn't really any reason _to_ mind.

"...did you?"

Her response wasn't as quick, and she seemed to be thinking to herself for a long time. Finally, she answered. "..I don't think so."

"Ah." Good. Last thing he needed was the scum telling the others that he had done something wrong to her.

"..do you mind if I go to sleep now?"

"Go ahead." he paused, then added in, for good measure, "Maggot."

"How many times do I have to say that's not my name?"

"You don't get special treatment, wench. Stop asking for it."

The woman shrugged, seeming to have settled enough to get to sleep. The next thing he heard was her soft breathing. He didn't mind calling her by her first name, he admitted, but he didn't want the others to interpret it the wrong way. It wasn't like she was special in comparison to the others anyway. Right?

Wait. He paused, frowning to himself. Was he actually developing some sort of attachment to the Elicoorian? Sure, she was much easier to talk to when the others weren't around, and she related to him much more than them, but just because of that didn't mean...

He put a hand to his forehead, and sighed. So he, Albel the Wicked, was finally falling for a woman. He cursed himself. Out of all women did it have to be her? At least she had cleared that she didn't hate him. But like before, "not hate" was not on equal terms with "like." What was it that he saw in the wench anyway? It must have been Woltar's fault for telling him to keep watch over her. Once they were out of Fayt's group, he wouldn't have to worry about that, at least. Woltar couldn't force him more than he already had.

Truth be told though, he had almost forgotten Woltar's words. Did it mean he was just watching her because he wanted to?

Albel glanced toward the woman's sleeping form, then let out another sigh. All of the annoying qualities of her personality seemed to fade from his mind and when he thought, he couldn't come up with anything he truly disliked about his companion anymore. Before she had pestered him with her comments about how he spoke, but he knew why. If he could, he would change how he spoke to the others. But he knew it was so deeply ingrained in not only him but the others that they would find it utterly odd if he changed suddenly. If anyone, he only wanted her to see his change. And she had noticed it apparently, or else she wouldn't have changed toward him. Her fear toward him had completely vanished, he noted, and she was able to speak toward him as if they were equals. At first this had also annoyed the man, but he didn't mind it at the very least any more. Most of the women in his life had been so submissive that they weren't in the least bit attractive. They all seemed quiet and well, like Mirage Koas. But they couldn't fight like her.

Nel definitely didn't fall into the category of women he had been around. Initially she had been the type he loathed-- then again any woman from Aquaria was a bad wench, and worthy of nothing but getting beaten into submission and thrown aside. Rather like Tynave and Farleen a while back. It was hard to stand either of them. Especially Farleen and her high falsetto that grated at his ears. He wondered how Nel was able to stand them-- then wondered that if he had ever ended up with Nel, if he would have to get used to them as well. Ugh.

Fat chance to stay with her after the adventures were over anyway. They were from separate countries, and they knew their places. But, he thought to himself, it would be nice...

The woman stirred from the bed, and he arched an eyebrow. It was getting late, and he knew he needed to rest as well, but his mind kept churning and not allowing it. Nel was having a nightmare apparently, because she kept clenching the sheets and the very least of her expression that he could see was in pain. Suddenly, he recalled his own vision of how he had attempted to rid himself of this woman. In the dream he had felt himself triumph over the wench, but if he had truly done it, he knew he would have never forgiven himself. Especially not now. Woltar _had_ predicted correctly, he thought in annoyance. The old man needed to be wrong for once in his life. If ever there was a woman he wanted to call his own, it was the one who was in the same room as he was at the moment. She was whimpering now, and for some odd reason, he felt something inside of him react at the soft cries.

Enough. He stood up, stepping to her form and watching her expression as his eyes got accustomed to the darkness. She was gritting her teeth now, shaking her head two times against some unseen force. The man frowned, slowly lowering one hand to the woman's cheek. Her skin was cold, and her breathing was starting to increase in pace. He leaned down finally, whispering her name into her ear. She seemed to flinch for a moment, but that was it. With a sigh, he grabbed her shoulder, tugging her up and shaking her a few times. "Wake up, maggot!"

The redhead's eyes flitted open and she looked toward him, as if trying to figure out where she was. "..huh. It's already morning?" her eyes widened and he had to push her down to stop her from getting up.

"No, fool. You were having a nightmare. You can't expect me to rest while you're whining in your sleep?"

She blinked a few times, then breathed a slow sigh. "Oh. That's right." her eyes raised toward his. "Sorry about that. Here, I'll wait for you to go to sleep before I do, so this won't happen again, alright?"

"Bah. Is it something that happens constantly, worm?" He rolled his eyes. He wasn't particularly interested, but his mouth had projected the words before he could object.

Nel shook her head no. "Only when I'm stressed out." she attempted a small smile. "I guess it's because of what we learned from Blair. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Ah."

Her gaze stopped on her shoulder and he followed them down to look at it as well before remembering that he hadn't moved his hand from it. His first instinct was to pull it away, but it was too awkward. She beat him to speaking. "You can let go of me now."

The statement lingered in his mind for a moment before he sighed. He could. Or he could just...

With one swift movement, he brought the woman to him, taking a moment to gaze into her large eyes before placing his lips on hers. She resisted at first, then seemed to relax in his hold, raising one arm and wrapping it around him gently. They both pulled aside at the same time, and the man watched her shy away, her gaze lowering. His face felt somewhat warm, and he was glad it was too dark for her to notice. When she spoke, her voice was trembling slightly. "..oh no."

Oh no? What the heck did that mean? He raised an eyebrow, allowing her to pull away completely. "What's wrong, maggot?"

Her hand was going to her mouth, somewhat shaky. "How am I supposed to explain this to Clair?"

Clair?

Albel paused for a moment.

Wait. Clair? That one other Aquarian woman?

Okay. So he hadn't considered that the woman of his interest might not have any interest toward men. This was a problem. As if it wasn't bad enough that they were from rival countries? How unexpected.

He must have shown his utter confusion or something of the sort to her, for she shook her head sheepishly. "We promised that we wouldn't give away our first kisses until we told each other first."

"....................."

Oy.

Albel threw back his head and laughed. He had been worried for a moment there. "Bah." he stated when he recovered. "Aren't you a bit old to be worrying about that?"

She immediately glowered toward him. "No. What's wrong with childhood promises anyway?"

Childhood promises. Albel's expression darkened, remembering the vow he had made when he had lost his father to the dragon he was unable to tame. There wasn't a single thing wrong about it, he decided, but he didn't speak aloud. Instead, he stood up, heading back to his chair.

"Albel?"

"Good night." he stated simply.

It seemed to be her turn to get angry. "Excuse me, but you're not planning on leaving me in the dark about this. A kiss on the forehead is excusable, b--but that was just unnecessary, don't you think? If you think that I'm some kind of whore that you can take advantage of because we're in the same room, you're mistaken, Albel Nox."

Truth be told, he hadn't thought of her as a whore before. But now that she mentioned it, her clothes kind of signified otherwise. Knowing her temper though, he didn't dare speak that realization out in open. "Bah." he stated.

"You owe me at least a reason for why you--"

"Listen up, fool." He watched her from the corner of his eye as she fumed for a moment before laying back in bed. He waited for her to settle down before speaking. "I don't owe you a reason for anything."

"You--"

"But," he interrupted, "I'll tell you from my own free will. So listen well, maggot. I won't repeat it."

"................."

"I've taken a liking to you, wench. That's the only reason why."

There was silence, and he thought she had fallen back asleep when she spoke again, her voice quiet. "What on Elicoor are you saying?"

"I love you, da--it. Understand now, worm?" Only when he had spoken had he truly understood how he felt. He had been able to push it aside for quite some time, but now the fact was just unavoidable.

Again, silence. His words were harsh, but his voice had not been. For the first time in almost a decade, he had allowed himself to bear his heart to someone. He braced himself for an unfavorable response, though he knew it would still cause him some sort of grief. It was why he didn't want to get attached. He had felt all sorts of pain when his father had passed away. The last thing he needed was to feel anything like that again.

"...................."

Why won't the scum respond?! He glanced toward her, noting that she had sat up, her hands folded like they had been the last time he had seen her in her pajamas. If they were going to fall off, then why bother wearing them in the first place? The garments were stupid. And so was the wearer, he decided. Stupid maybe, but darn fine. He shook his thoughts away.

When she spoke, her words were quieter than his. "Albel.." she started, "I don't want the others to know about this."

Aquarian honor, he figured. The last thing she needed was a lovesick Airyglyph captain following her heels. He frowned. He refused to be stereotyped as so. It was a weird feeling. He was fine when he was without her, but when he was with her, he felt odd. It wasn't odd in a bad way though. It was as if he never wanted to be separated from her, but once he was, he was fine. Was this how love was supposed to work? Or maybe it was the only way that Albel the Wicked could feel now that he stomped on all emotion he had when he was a child. To her comment, he didn't respond.

As he had expected, she continued. "I mean.. it would complicate things. After we're finished with uninstalling the Executioners.." she trailed off, frowning.

In other words, after Fayt and co. were out of the picture, he would have a chance with her. These Executioner programs were proving to be a pain in more than one way now. He couldn't blame her though; he wasn't really fond of the idea of getting together with someone in the midst of battle either. It was just that--

What if it was the last chance--

If the Executioners were deleted--

--they might be too.

But if they weren't... he was willing to wait a little longer. It wasn't like it was going to kill him.

"I know." he stated, his voice coming out flatter than he had intended. "Don't worry about it, wench. Things will stay the same until then."

It was Nel's turn to keep quiet for a moment. She finally chuckled to herself. "It would be odd for someone from Aquaria to get together with one from Airyglyph. The king's marriage will unite us, but even still.. it'd be odd."

Was she making excuses? She hadn't mentioned how she had felt toward him-- the only thing he knew was that she didn't hate him. That might have changed now though, since that was before he had gone ahead and been bold enough to steal her first kiss. At twenty-three, though, it struck him as odd for her not to have had some other suitor. Then again, Aquaria _did_ have mostly women inhabiting it... and she was always on some mission or other. Maybe it wasn't so surprising. It would have kind of annoyed him if he had known that she had taken interest in some other suitor, that was true. Albel himself hadn't really been with any other, but that was because there were few women in Airyglyph and the few that there were weren't appealing to him and were, most likely than not, afraid of him.

"Oh hush." he rolled his eyes, keeping his voice as distant as he could manage. "Don't keep my hopes up if you don't have any intention to keep your word after the Executioners are gone. I know you don't have any interest in me yourself, wench."

To his surprise, she shook her head. "Then you're wrong. I don't know exactly how much I feel for you, but I feel something. If I didn't.. then I would have done all in my power to stay away from you. You know that."

Quite an unsatisfactory response, if he did say so himself. Sure, it was more favorable than he had first expected, but nothing on the scale of what he wished. It was obvious the feeling was one-sided. If it wasn't, she wouldn't be so intent on keeping the relation a secret from the others. He breathed a slow sigh. Since when did he bother to care anyway? Whatever had gone through his core being to change his emotions that greatly? Just a few moments ago he was close to convinced she was nothing more than she had been ages ago. "So what are you proposing?"

The woman lay back down in the bed, pulling up her covers to her chin. ".............." 


	7. Part 7

**Part 7**

She was flattered that he had admitted he had feelings toward her, but she had no idea how she felt toward him herself. Well, she had a small inkling, she had to admit. When he had held her the first time, she had been more shocked than anything else. Still, the second time, she had allowed herself to relax in his grasp. His body was warm and comforting to say the least, even if she _had_ been wary because of his claw arm. His movement had been much more gentle than one could have expected from someone entitled "wicked," that was for sure.

She had brought herself to care for the man, but to what extent was still a mystery even to her. She felt a pull to him when she had seen him sleeping earlier. The woman admitted that the kiss he had given her a few moments back had also felt-- well, right. It had sent a small tingle through her spine that she hadn't felt before when she was in the presence of any other person. Maybe it really was that she was falling in love with Albel the Wicked.

What a disturbing thought. She wondered how Clair would take to it. Or if she'd even believe her. More than likely Clair would, since the two were that close and trusted each other very much. Didn't mean that the other woman would like it though. Nel herself didn't know if she liked it. She wasn't the happiest to learn that she was taking an interest in one of the men of the group and especially not the only one from Airyglyph.

She just wanted some time to sort things out, that was it. Truthfully, she would have enjoyed it just as much to simply claim the man as hers and surprise the others, but it would interfere with her duty. Duty and missions always came first. This had nothing to do with her feelings. What exactly _was_ she proposing?

"I don't know." she admitted. "All I know is that this isn't the time to be worrying about this. We need to make sure our world exists before we can try to be happy in it."

"......bah."

Nel frowned, not wanting to hurt her comrade. He looked somewhat uncomfortable in the chair, anyway. With a sigh, she shook her head. "Let's just sleep for now."

She shut her eyes, taking quite some time before she could fall asleep. She woke early too, and with a sigh, knowing that if she took any more time that she would cause the others to be late. Albel seemed to be still sleeping, his head tilted down and his arms folded. She watched him for a moment, then decided it was safe enough to get dressed as long as he didn't happen to wake during the movement. Thankfully, he didn't stirr until she was done and stepping back toward him. A soft mutter escaped the man's throat, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "Good morning," she said, keeping her voice quiet.

"..........." Albel took a moment to stretch in the chair, looking rather tense. Without another word, she moved behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders. He glanced toward her, his expression questioning.

"Relax." she commanded, beginning to massage his shoulders. He stayed tense for a while, then seemed to return to normal after a moment, allowing himself to shut his eyes and enjoy the movements. Once, he let out a quiet whimper, and she had a deep urge just to hold onto him. She resisted though, finishing the movements up when she felt his whole form relax. "Better?" she asked, sending him a quick smile when she noted the dreamy look on his face.

"Where did you learn how to do that, wench?" He stood up, seeming refreshed. Or as much so as he dared show.

Nel shrugged. "Doesn't matter does it? Unless you wanted to learn too." she stifled a yawn as she gathered her things. "Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"As much as I could in such an object." Albel was ready to go before she was, which didn't surprise her too much. He wandered off to figure out wherever the showering device was around the area, leaving the woman to stay in the room and ponder.

The next few days were rather uneventful in the context of the two's developing relationship. Or not so developing actually. It had come to a stunning halt, and the two had returned to barely speaking to each other. The end was coming, and they needed to be as prepared as they could get. Communicating with Blair had brought them back to Kaddan and then back to Mosel, until they could get into Firewall. Once they had reached the Spiral Towers, everyone was basically tensed up. Nel found that Albel had stayed purposely behind her most of the time, and sometimes she had felt tempted to turn to look toward him, but she didn't bother, keeping her mind on what was to come. Luther was surprisingly easy-- compared to what they had expected at least. Of course they had not escaped the final battle unhurt, but it hadn't been what she had expected. Finally, the Executioners would be gone and the vile wind that had flown in on Elicoor had vanished. True, they had learned that they were programs from another higher being, but it didn't stop them from being--

Alive.

The group separated after the long adventure together, Fayt returning to see his remaining parent and Sophia's relatives. Mirage wandered off to return to her father's dojo, and Cliff was to wait for her and Fayt. Nel had heard rumors that he had a "hunch" that Fayt would return soon enough. Adray she knew was antagonizing poor Clair like he always was, but she had grown used to his strange habits. Still, when Adray was around, Nel didn't really care to go visit Clair much. She loved her friend dearly, but Adray was too eccentric for his own good. The redhead also heard a few rumors about how Maria had actually been asked out by Lieber. The response she couldn't really tell if it was positive or negative. Either way, it would prove to cause more havoc than necessary, in her eyes.

And what happened to the Elicoorians?

The night before the group separated, they had taken a moment to celebrate. Albel had stayed put in the farthest table from the group that day, excusing himself early from the "scum", and Nel had followed him out soon enough, knowing that if Cliff was in the group, the party wouldn't be ending any time in the near future. Not surprisingly, the Airyglyph ex-captain had left his door unlocked, and when she entered, he seemed almost as he was expecting her. She lowered her eyes faintly, shutting the door behind herself. There was nothing stopping her from relaying how she felt now, she knew. She didn't know if she was quite ready to speak, but knowing that it was either now or never, she took in a deep breath and started. "Albel, I--"

"I'm returning to Airyglyph." he cut her off, his tone harsh. "There's still a few things that I have left to do there. After that I'll be helping the old man Woltar out in his mansion. He's too senile to do anything on his own anymore." his gaze moved toward hers. "You'll be going back to Aquaria?"

Aquaria was her home. She wasn't willing to give such a place up so quickly. She nodded a few times.

"I thought as much. What were you saying?"

The redhead shook her head. Her resolve was slowly wavering. "The Executioners are gone, and so I'm here to respond to you as I should have in the Diplo." she kept her voice steady, though inside she was still utterly lost. "I love you, Albel.." That wasn't it. She couldn't stop there. She took a deep breath, her voice growing softer with each word. "..but I can't commit to you. We have our duties. They come before anything else."

Albel stayed quiet, his gaze lingering on hers.

So, she had finally admitted it. She didn't know since when she had harvested such strong feelings for the man, and she didn't know if they were right in the very least. Still, it wasn't as if she had any control over them. She had learned to restrain when she was young though, which had also prevented her from propelling herself into his arms. That and the mere fact that she just wasn't that sort of person.

The man nodded after a pause. "So I take it that means this will be farewell."

The concept tore at her inside, but she nodded, purely professional. "Of course, if duty brings myself to your country, I'll be sure to visit. I hope you'll plan on doing the same?"

"Bah. I guess I can manage that, wench."

If he was hurting inside, he sure didn't let on to it. Nel, on the other hand, felt a sharp pain inside at the whole concept, and tried her best to remain as stoic as he was. "It was a pleasure traveling with you, Albel Nox."

The whole statement seemed so empty that she moved forward, extending her hand out to him. He reached out to take it, and before she knew it, she had been swung forward into his arms. "Stupid woman." he said softly, his voice betraying his fondness. His undamaged hand lifted to stroke her hair and she quietly leaned against him. She was starting to regret her decision, but the queen and Aquaria needed her. Plus, she had to help Clair in the rebuilding of Arias. She couldn't expect Albel to leave his duties for her either. He may have had some feelings for her, but not enough to make him drop everything he had once known. It was just like her. To her, she didn't have much of a choice.

She slowly wrapped her arms around the man, taking in a deep breath. She had to admit she was most comfortable in such a position, and she shut her eyes a little, putting her head down on his chest. If it was the first and last time she could stay with him, she would try and allow it to last as much as possible. They stayed silent for some time, each simply enjoying the other's warmth and company. She felt his hand lift from her back to her shoulder, then trail up toward her cheek, resting there for a moment. Her body shivered involuntarily and she glanced upward, questioning him with her silent gaze.

To the woman's surprise, he leaned forward a bit, pushing aside her scarf and brushing his lips against her neck gently. Her heart skipped a beat when he nipped at her ear once before speaking. "Nel..."

Ah, it was the way he said her name-- so very infrequently but in such a manner that made it worth the wait. For a split second, she wondered if this man really was one and the same as Albel the Wicked she had loathed from long ago. She reached up to brush aside a few of his long locks from his face. He was, well, beautiful. His body showed few scars, proving either his strength or the strength of those who had healed him when he had gotten injured. That and figuring he showed enough of his skin, there had to be some mark on it somewhere. The two weren't anywhere close enough to be intimate enough for her to be allowed access any further than her eye could see already, and up to there, there seemed to be little scarring. His words interrupted her thoughts.

"Stay here with me... just a little longer."

The redhead simply nodded, pressing up against his form. The only thing that would have torn her apart from him at that moment was a call from Her Majesty or the end of the world. She was secure from either or for at least the night, she knew that much. "They weren't so bad, now were they, Albel?" she stated, giving him a small smile.

"Hm? Those scum?" a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "...I guess. They could have been worse." He would have never saved them if that was the case.

"I guess you weren't so bad after all either." she added in, humored. She leaned in to exchange a quick, chaste kiss. "I'll miss you."

"Hmph." He responded with a quick squeeze, his arm bringing her just a bit closer. She knew he wouldn't dare say the same-- it would show some sign of weakness, and he was obsessive with his strength. "It's not the end of the world, fool. When everything is cleared up..." he trailed off.

She knew what he was thinking. When everything was cleared up, they still had a chance to be together. The thought was probably nothing more than a faraway dream though, as they both had plenty to do. It was a nice fantasy though. Something that she could try and work toward while doing missions. The woman knew the harsh truth of reality though. More than likely, the man would get settled with someone else before everywhere was set back to normal. Same went for her, if Clair or Her Majesty ended up setting her up with someone. If she was to marry for the kingdom, she would, even if that meant going against her own feelings. Just for now, though, she basked in her love's warmth. After that night, they would go back to being strangers. Once comrades in battle, but then nothing more. Each had a silent vow to themselves not to admit anything about their relationship lest it make things confusing later on. What would everyone think if the Airyglyph ex-captain had fallen for some woman in Aquaria? That would most definitely ruin his image. And that wasn't saying much for Nel, who would get much more interrogation on her end. The only person she was planning on speaking to was Clair, just because they were close enough to trust one enough with that sort of thing. Nel knew the same with Albel and Woltar, though Woltar had a larger habit of leaking out some unnecessary information.

She couldn't say that she wouldn't like just letting out the truth and perhaps actually staying with the man, but until they were both settled back into their hometowns, neither was planning on giving any sign of their relations away. It was like it was their little secret.

The woman shivered only slightly when she felt his hand reach up again, trailing down her neck. She reluctantly moved the scarf to the side, giving him more access to her skin. "Albel," she began, pausing when he leaned over, marking her flesh with with his mouth-- an unspoken promise and sign of his love. When he moved aside, she placed her hand over the symbol, then let out a soft sigh. She would have to be careful and keep the scarf on as much as possible now thanks to him. At least until it faded. Not that she minded of course. He, on the other hand, had granted her no access at all to his neck, since the collar was still securely fastened on him. (To which she wondered why on Elicoor he always had that thing on.) He smirked when he noticed her staring at this and shrugged, thinking to unclip the mechanism from behind. How this was done... was another question. (And if he could have done that in the first place, why did he always keep the blasted thing on?!)

She waited a moment before nipping his flesh once, pulling away to look up at his face before finishing the deed. Almost as quickly as he had pulled the collar off, he snapped it back on. It was one of the few places no one would suspect anything of. It was secure enough as is, or so she assumed.

Nel noticed that he was about to speak, and shook her head, putting one finger to his lips. "I know." she said quietly, leaning back down against him. "..I know.."

It would be a few days before the mark would disappear. For at least those few days she would know that all that had happened during their adventure had not just been a figment of her imagination. Maybe it would have been better if it was, because then it just wouldn't hurt as much.

Soon enough, the man let her go and she stood up, giving him a small smile and a nod. "Good night." she stated. At first, she took a few steps away, then paused, turning back to him and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "And good luck." She shifted her scarf just in case she would see anyone on the way out of the room. Her face was well hidden enough as it was in the material, and she figured there was nothing to worry about there.

"Hmph. I don't need luck." he stated, his tone anything but harsh. He took one of her hands, brushing his lips against it gently. "Get some sleep, love."

The last words echoed in her head as she left the room, feeling somewhat empty. So, he could be sweet when he wanted to, she decided. It was a shame that they hadn't been from the same country on Elicoor. If they had, perhaps they would have had an easier time staying together.

If only--

The next morning when everyone was to say their goodbyes, Nel learned that Albel had left much earlier than the others, not bothering to share their sentiments. She frowned a bit to herself, but she knew it was probably for their own sake. If he had stayed, her resolve might have broken. She might have stopped him from leaving. Or--

---

The man had not shown it, but the night had been Heaven and Hell in one. He had left early only because he needed to. His restraint only went so far, and it was only his pride that led him not to have just grabbed the woman and not allow her to return home. Once in Airyglyph, he knew there would be plenty of things to take his mind off of the wench, but until then, he couldn't think of much else.

"Bah."

He would just have to wait for her to come visit, he figured. Either that or take a leave to go to Aquaria. Wouldn't that seem a bit... odd though? For the ex-captain to be willingly going to Aquaria to visit a certain Nel Zelpher? He hadn't seemed close to her anyway, and the last thing he needed were questions about what happened during his adventures with Fayt and co. (Or Mystic Dragon Eyes. Or Onward! Defrosted Tuna Team.)

Albel doubted that any of the others would have felt anything about his early leave, and if they had, it would have made him feel somewhat awkward. He wasn't good with farewells, though he had to admit before he had left he had taken a moment to bid goodbye to the team leader Fayt. Fayt had given him his trademark smile, telling him that it was nice to have met him and worked with him in the journey. Take care. The like. Albel had responded no different from any other time. Bah. Fool. He hadn't been able to hide his small smile, though, and Fayt seemed to have noticed, giving him a small nod before they parted.

He shrugged. He had to admit the only time he usually smiled was when he was, well, grinning at some maggot or another. A _smile_ barely touched his face. Smirk, often enough. Smile? Nah. On the other hand, he had seen plenty from the others. Minus Maria, who saved her happy expressions for Fayt and her Quark members. Nel hadn't done the same, he noted. Her smiles were more infrequent than say, Sophia and Peppita when they had seen her, but otherwise... they framed her well. That was, when she wasn't hiding half of her face in her scarf.

Albel Nox shook his head a few times. She was out of his range now, and there was no use crying over spilt milk. That wasn't to say that he was giving up on her completely though. If any man was going to stay with Nel Zelpher, he was more than positive that he would take the spot. When? That was another question. How? Ditto.

"............"

Curse complications.

Well, someday... 


	8. Epilogue

_Author's Notes:_ If you haven't finished the game, well, um.. spoilers. Like every other chapter. XD Evil I know, but I was sticking as close as possible to the game. Though I'm really tempted to write something afterwards....-holds back- (I mean, the queen I'm sure wouldn't object to them getting together, would she? XD) 

**Epilogue**

Nel Zelpher reported to the queen with a wary glance toward Lasselle, who looked as disagreeable as ever. He was always trying to state how his ideas were better and everyone else was wrong. It annoyed both her and the queen most of the time, but no one would mention it. The queen was to assign another mission-- of course she was planning on taking it, even if it meant that she would have to go through Lasselle's objections for the billionth time. He never managed to do much but irritate anyone around there anyway. When she passed by Elena at the hallway, she felt an unspoken connection with the other woman. Elena had also sacrificed her love as well, for the sake of Airyglyph and Aquaria's alliance. Her love was also from the other country, and royalty at that. Elena simply told her not to spend so much time doing missions when she should be out doing things only the young could do. Nel simply smiled at the comment. Elena was always saying she wasn't young, but she sure wasn't old. Plus, the missions were the only thing keeping Albel Nox out of the redhead's mind. Maybe, someday, she would end up having to meet up with him again....

---

On the other hand, Albel Nox was traveling down the dungeon's hallway, frankly irritated that his men had mysteriously disappeared while he had been busy doing what he had to do for his kingdom as well. Sure, he didn't care much for the men, but he owed them enough to bring their corpses out of where ever they had disappeared to. At the appearance of Romero, he merely scoffed. Anything and anyone he fought in this world would be no match for him after honing his abilities against the evil Executioners. He shrugged Romero's comments off, only gaining irritation when his men rose up against him-- walking corpses. Out of all the things to do...

What a drag.

Albel unsheathed his sword, very wary toward the monsters. Of course he wasn't planning on dying or even getting hurt in the least. If he did, what face would he have to show when Nel came to visit him in the kingdom of Airyglyph? More for her sake over his, he stepped forward, initiating the attack.... 

**-Fin-**


End file.
